Abnormal
by soraxtsuna123
Summary: Ponyboy Curtis is special. He has abilities just like most superheroes from movies have. Powers such as: breathing underwater and stopping time. But as he grows, the more appears. Some are harmless as an ant while others are deadly and uncontrollable. Will he be able to keep this away from the gang and the government/scientists? Would he be taken away?What's up with this dark side?
1. Chapter 1

**I have so many stories. Gosh! Oh well. Some powers were sort of based from the show 'Heroes'. And some from 'Charmed'.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders**

**o-o-o**

Keeping secrets is really hard. I would know. I've been keeping one for my whole life. It wasn't small. No, not at all. In fact: it's huge. No one knows about it: not the gang, Tim, Curly. No one. It's not that I don't want to tell them. I'm just afraid. I'm afraid that what happens in the movies is really true. I don't want to take the chance of being experimented on or, worse, killed. I want to live a normal life. But, that's impossible. I'm a freak. A monster. Have you figured out what's wrong with me? I have powers; much like what you would see superheroes from movies have. For as long as I can remember I had them. At first I could just see the auras of people. I had told my parents what the colors around people are. They looked at me strangely and told me it was just my young mind at work. It did make sense, seeing how I was four at the time. I learned soon after what each color meant and kept my mouth shut. No biggie.

Well, that changed when I was six. I had yet again gained a new ability. I could now talk to animals. It was a very fun power. Lots of company. At eight I, yet again, had another power. I could breath underwater. At 10 I had night vision. It was annoying at first. I couldn't sleep. At 12 I became a genius, but my mind was so lost in thought that I would do stuff that would seem like I wasn't using my head. Well, being smart also came with omnilingualism. Now I'm at age 14, and everything just came at me at once.

Whenever I get a power, they are uncontrollable at first. Not ending or having random spurts of it. But as time went, I gained more control over them so I can turn it on and off. Some just keep going continuously, but it doesn't bother me. Some examples of these are breathing underwater and my super mind/ omnilingualism.

I was sitting at my desk, writing an essay about Romeo and Juliet for school. It was all good. Well, until my hand cramped up. I gasped and let go of the pencil in a hurry, clutching my hand hard. "Ow! Crap!" I cursed at my hand, thankful that Darry wasn't there to hear me. I shook my hand wildly in pain and accidentally hit my pencil boy off the desk. Panicking, my flashed my hands out towards it. And everything was still. The pencil box didn't hit the ground, nor did the floating pencils, pens, pencil sharpener, markers, and erasers. Not even the sound of Mickey Mouse that was just booming in the living room a second ago. No yells, sound of birds, dogs, cars. Nothing. Everything was frozen, except for me. But, before my mind could process anything, the pencil box dropped and everything resumed.

What the heck…did I…did I just stop time? I shouldn't be surprised. But I didn't expect my power to be…this awesome. How did I do that? I quickly picked up everything and placed in back on the desk, forgetting the homework. I pushed it off the desk, only for it to fall on the floor. Furrowing my brows, I minutes later, I still don't have it down. I, once again, picked up the supplies, when my brother, Soda, came in.

"Pony, you okay? We heard constant crashing," he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I kept accidentally knocking over my pencil box."

Soda laughed and patted my head before turning around to leave the room. I bit my lips. Every time I see him I always think about telling him my secret. He would understand, right? He won't try to get rid of me, right? That's it… I'm going to do it. I'm going tell him. "H-Hey, Soda!"

Soda turned around again. "What is it?"

"I-" My voice hitched in my throat. "I can't do it!" I waved my hands up in anguish and everything once again was still. I looked up at Soda who had his mouth open as if he was about to say something. Time then resumed. Ten Seconds. That's how long I could hold the time pause.

"What can't you do?" Soda asked.

"I-It's nothing. I just figured it out. Thanks anyways."

Soda gave me a concerned look but nodded anyways and left. I breathed out the air that I was subconsciously holding in and leaned back against my chair. Why can't I just say it? Am I really that terrified? I looked at the pencil box which was sitting peacefully on the desk. One more try. I think I understand how to stop time now. I pushed off my pencil box and flashed my hand out. It stopped. Cheering internally I placed everything back on the desk before time resumed. I stood from my desk in victory and marched out of the room, not noticing my reflection looking at me as I left before disappearing.

I walked towards the living room where most of the gang was lounging or playing poker. No one acknowledged me. I smiled deviously, coming up with a plan. My eyes flickered over to Steve who was just starting a poker game. I flashed my hands and everything went still. Knowing I had a quick time limit, I ran to him before grabbing the cards that were being dealt to him and traded his good cards with Soda's and gave him the bad cards. I ran back to the spot I stood before and time resumed. This time it stopped for 20 seconds. I'm improving.

Steve frowned at his cards and Soda put on his poker face. I walked across the street and headed over to watch a new movie that was coming out. The walk was nice and peaceful. I was half way there before a carload of Socs joined me. "Hey grease! Cut your hair much?" One exclaimed before coming out and pushing me against the fence I was walking next to. The others exited the car after him. There were five of them. Some took out switch-blades while others cracked their knuckles. Crap… I tried to flash my arms out to stop time for my escape but a Soc tackled me to the ground and pinned me down; hands above my head. The Soc on top of me slugged me in the face and I winced in pain. The punches kept coming and I seriously had enough. I squirmed beneath him and shouted out to the gang or any animal listening that would want to try to save me. Another Soc cursed and stuffed a rag in my mouth to muffle my cries. A knife pressed against my throat and I felt a trickle of blood slide down my neck. Something stabbed in my stomach and everything was black.

When I came through, I was standing up with…the gory bodies of the five Socs that attacked me. My eyes widened in horror and I backed up against the fence. I could feel my breakfast coming up and I threw it all up. It was the most horrifying scene I had ever seen. Did I…Did I kill them? I don't remember killing them. Glancing at my hands, I noticed that there was no blood. If I killed them, surely I would have their blood on me. But, I did notice a switch-blade sticking into my stomach. I gasped. Blood pooled out of me. I pulled the knife out and instantly went to try to stop the bleeding but before I could do that, I felt the wound close up on its own. What? I pulled my shirt up a bit to check. The open wound wasn't their. Not even a scar was left. That can't be right. I ran to a window to check my reflection. I saw a bloodied form of me. But the blood on my reflection wasn't mine. It smiled at me even though I wasn't smiling. It moved its hand up and put a finger over his mouth to indicate to be quiet. I stared at it at shock. What the hell is happening? The reflection turned back to my shocked face and there was only my blood that was on my shirt. No bruises or the scratch on my neck was there. It was as if nothing happened to me. I looked back at the Socs before running away back to my house. I forcefully opened the screen door making everyone look at me. I hid the blood away from them as much as I can.

"Ponyboy…what…" Johnny started but I started to march towards Soda's and my room. I threw myself on the bed and tried to think about something else besides the dead bodies. But that is all I could see. I heard the door open and close.

"Are you okay, baby?" Soda asked me. The bed dipped down and I looked up from my pillow.

"Y-Yeah."

"You were gone for a long time."

My eyes opened wide at that. I looked at the room's clock. It's been three hours since I left. That can't be right. I just left a few minutes ago. "Impossible…"

"It's true. What movie did you go see?"

"Just a random one. Time must have flown by really fast." I lied.

Soda laughed, forgetting the gloominess in the room. "You really like those movies."

He stood up after hugging my lying down form and went to leave. I saw another flash of the dead bodies. "Hey, S-Soda?"

"Yes?"

"I think I want to sleep in separate rooms now."

**o-o-o**

**Here's what are Ponyboy's known powers are:**

**Super intelligence: Being really, really smart**

**Talking to animals: obviously talking to animals and understanding them**

**Breathing underwater: Doesn't have to hold his breath underwater and can breath like he can on land.**

**Omnilingualism: understanding and speaking multiple languages without really noticing the change of language.**

**Invincibility: Never getting hurt**

**Freezing time: The power to stop time for a short period of time.**

**Auras: Ability to read and see auras. Can tell the emotions of people and see where they were hurt once and weak points.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Replies:**

_**Goldenthrons**_**: Thank you so much. .**

**o-o-o**

That night, Soda moved into his old room. That night is also the night where I was plagued with nightmares.

_A yellow school bus rode down the road. Kids were smiling and laughing. The driver was taking to someone in the first row ever so often. The bus of Greenwoods Elementary School flashed on the back next to the bus number '2'. Another car sped down the 'T' section road and turned without slowing down or looking. The next thing came as a rush. The bus was swerved and hit a tree. Kids flung forward and screamed. Some got knocked out. The car then caught up and slammed into the bus again, crushing some students. The driver of the black car hit his head on the horn and never woke up. Blood splattered everywhere. The horn sounded out through the roads and some cars stopped to look at the damage. A few seconds later, the engine exploded on both cars, engulfing everyone and everything around them in a few yards. Houses caught on fire. I tried to move, but I couldn't. No… stop. This can't be real. No._

I gasped as he slammed his head up from the desk. Sweat pooled down my body and my heart beat faster than a hummingbird's could. I furrowed my brows. When did I move from my bed to my desk? A colored drawing in my new sketchbook caught my attention. I picked it up and gasped. It was the dream I had. The drawing was so detailed that it was almost realistic. I never even knew I could draw like that…and when did I draw this? Did I somehow sleepdraw my dream? A date was scribbled in the bottom right pencil. That was today's date. Weird. Soda or Darry didn't even come to try to wake me from the bad dream. Did I not cry or scream? I shrugged it off and tucked the sketchbook between my textbooks.

I looked at the time: 7:30 AM. I'm going to be late for school! I stood up and grabbed random clean clothes before heading to the bathroom to take a quick, lukewarm shower. I changed into my clothes after that and brushed my teeth, forgetting about eating breakfast. I grabbed by bag and homework and sprinted towards the front door.

"Hey, kid." Tim Sheppard greeted. When did he get there? Oh! I don't have time for this! I started back towards the door. Tim turned back to the news which he wasn't really paying attention too.

'_Local school kids went missing. A thorough search would begin-' _I closed the screen door and started back to my sprinting. Shouts from other greasers were snapped at me as I pushed past them. I said my 'sorry' and 'excuse me', but that didn't really help. I think I'm going to make it. Nothing can stop me. That is until I passed by where the Socs were dead. I froze and fear corrupted me. Nausea came up in my stomach as the images of the dead bodies came to mind. I swallowed down my sour stomach acids that I was about to throw up. The bodies weren't there. Not even a small droplet of blood was there. I doubt anyone would try to clean it up and no one called.

In the distance, I heard the school bell ring. I started to sprint again, forgetting about the murder area. I had seven minutes until the last bell. My body pushed through the school doors and I fast walked to my first class. Stupid 'No Running in the Hallways' sign. The last bell started to ring and Ponyboy flashed his arms out, freezing time, before entering his classroom and sitting at his seat. Time resumed.

"Alright, it's time to take roll." The teacher began. My first class was Greek. Not many students take it, but it was an option. Fewer students, the better, in my opinion. Class went on as usual (except for a few students crying and leaving for the counselors' office because of the 'disappearances'). "Mr. Curtic, can you please translate this sentence to Greek, please."

"Δεν θα υπάρξει τέλος στα προβλήματα των κρατών, ή της ίδιας της ανθρωπότητας, μέχρι οι φιλόσοφοι γίνουν βασιλιάδες σε αυτόν τον κόσμο, ή μέχρι εκείνους που αποκαλούμε σήμερα βασιλείς και ηγεμόνες πραγματικά και αληθινά γίνουν φιλόσοφοι, και την πολιτική εξουσία και τη φιλοσοφία έτσι έρχονται στα ίδια χέρια **(1)**." I quoted without a thought or a second look at the page. The teacher clapped in amazement.

"Amazing. Are you sure this is your first time trying to learn Greek? I wasn't expecting anyone to get many of the words."

"Smart ass." A Soc whispered earning a few giggles from others. I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair. The day went on slow, per usual. It was like a floating cat rains down from the heavens when the last ending bell of the day wrung. Students flushed out of the classrooms with cheers and I was the last one out. Hallways flooded with students in matters of seconds and I was thrown around like a rag doll. My shoulder hit into the lockers beside me and a hand clamped over my mouth as I was dragged off into a nearby janitors closet.

"Hey, freak!" A male sneered at me and pushed me down on the floor to topple over the mop. The door shut close and the light turned on. The soc that was there stepped on my chest. I struggled under him to get my arms to move in a flashing motion. He froze before he got to say anything. I wiggled myself out from under him and started to go to the door. But, apparently the wiggling took longer then I thought and he unfroze. The Socs eyes roamed the ground confused before they locked onto mine. "What the fuck! Come here grease!" He grabbed at my neck and slammed me against the wall. My nose smashed against the wall; making an ugly crack. He slugged my at the back of me head forcing it to smash against the wall again. He then threw me at the ground as hard as he could. I hit the ground all right. Not before hitting something else of the way down. My neck hit a sharp object and I couldn't move my body. I was paralyzed. My body went numb. I could just slightly feel the blood dropping on the floor. My vision started to blacken. The last thing I saw was the panicked look on the Soc's face before he ran out of the closet.

**o-o-o**

My vision came back and I gasped for air after I felt something get removed from my neck. Where am I? What happened? I looked around the room and noticed the gum remover covered in my blood next to me. I looked more around and found I was lying on a table in a morgue. Did I die? Did that gum shovel kill me? I moved my stiff arms to my neck. Only blood remained where the cut should have been. My broken nose we fixed too. I quickly sat up and ran to get my clothes from the bucket. Holy crap. I was dead. How am I alive? Was it the invincibility thing? I changed into my clothes and started to head out.

"Yeah, we are about to do a DNA scan to see who the teen is." Ponyboy heard and ducked behind the open door. A man walked in, in his lab coat and rubber gloves. He looked around and his face turned into one of fear when he noticed the body was missing. I would have laughed at his expression if I weren't in this position. I snuck out of the room before he could turn back and left.

It was night already. It was probably Monday. Good, only a few hours past. Okay, maybe a lot of hours. Crap, Darry's going to kill me. I started to jog back. In time like these, I'm glad for my night vision. I started to run faster, curving around corners, and my horrible luck**(2)**. I ran strait into an in-motion car. My body flung over the front window before sliding down the hood. My body felt broken in all places before I felt them turning and clicking back together.

"Are you okay?" A chubby man asked and looked at me worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I get back up and stretched. "Sorry for crashing into you. Bye!" I ran off as fast as I could. I nearly died again. I really need to be more careful. It hurts to get hurt and nearly die. I would have died without these powers. Then again, I might not have been in most of the messes with the Socs if I didn't have them.

I reached my house and went in. "Ponyboy Michael Curtis!" Yep, that's Darry. "Do you know what time it is? Do you know how worried I was?"

"It's okay Darry. He's here now. It's fine." Soda came in.

"No, it is not okay! What if you were jumped, raped, or kidnapped. Or all three!"

"But it didn't happen." I said.

"Where were you?"

"School. I was helping a teacher with some grading. I know, I should have told you, and I'm sorry. Now, I really need to finish my homework."

**o-o-o**

The next morning I got ready and went back to school. It was an okay day since Johnny decided to come today. We headed over to our lockers, which were right next to each other. I twisted in my combination and pulled out textbooks and put some in. When I turned around, I saw the greaser that killed me looking at me with horrified, confused green eyes. People bumped into him and he fell over.

"What's his problem?" Johnny whispered to me. I shrugged. Anger bubbled within me. Being killed hurts, you know? And it was his fault that I nearly got my name on the papers of my dead body or something. I glared at him and his body flew a few meters away and slammed into the lockers, denting them. The hallways went silent and all attentions were on the Soc who was knocked unconscious.

"What the hell? Who did that?" A girl soc screamed at ran to his side, tears flowing down her cheeks. It must be his girlfriend.

"Nobody could have been thrown that far…" Someone murmured.

**o-o-o**

"You should have seen it! This guy was just suddenly thrown back against the lockers!" Two-Bit chatted, making motions with his hands.

"Yeah, I saw it too." Steve agreed. "He was thrown back a few meters. Dented some lockers. He was sent to the hospital. I wonder how that happened."

I sulked into the sofa cushion. That was my doing. I didn't mean to do that… But, you got to admit. That was awesome. "I'm heading out!" I informed Darry who was just leaving for a meeting at his job. I left the house and glared at a rock. It didn't pick up so I kept going to not look like a weirdo. The next rock came by a few steps from the last and this time a moved my arms in a motion that I wanted to rock to go. This time it started to rock before lifting up a few feet. Cool.

There was one more thing I wanted to check and it's going to make me look like a masochist. I went to a tall building in Tulsa and went to the roof. I went to the edge and looked at the dizzyingly floor below. Taking a deep breath, I jumped off. My body crushed again and my vision wavered before going back to normal and my body twisted back to normal. I got up and went back to the roof getting some strange looks at the people that were in the building before. I wonder if I concentrate hard enough, I could fly. I never actually tried before, but with all this new development of powers. It's a 30% chance I can actually do it. I jumped off once more and plummeted down before stopping in mid air. I hovered there for what seemed like a minute before falling down. That definitely needs some work. I got up and jumped up in the air, feeling myself lift up. I then jumped once more and I was sky high, going far enough up in the air to camouflage as a bird to the people below.

It was the most amazing feeling I have ever felt. The wind brushed through my hair…How am I supposed to land? Do I just gently slow myself down and plop back on the ground? Oh! There's my house! I tried landing, but gently going down was harder than I thought and I fell like a comment and slammed into a trashcan.

"Ponyboy?" I looked up. Johnny stood there, mouth agape.

**o-o-o**

**(1): This is a quote from my favorite Greek philosopher, Plato. I google translated it, but it reads, "There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands."**

**(2): Ponyboy has terrible luck in this. In return for the powers, he is given the worst luck ever. Why? Just because. Perfectly good explanation. :p**


	3. Chapter 3

**Special thanks to **_**Goldenthorns**_** and **_**SaiyanPrincess **_**for reviewing!**

**Ponyboy's powers are coming in like crazy. . They came in like a wrecking ball! That's all I know of that song… I'm not sure if that was even right. Maybe it's I came in like a wrecking ball…? Oh well! I don't listen to her songs.**

**o-o-o**

What do I do? Johnny saw me in the act of flying and regenerating. I stood up from the trash and timidly brushed some dirt and rocks off of me. "Ponyboy?" Johnny asked again. My body chilled to the bone and I stood up straighter. I wasn't, in my right mind, ready for this. "How…"

Panicking, I quickly replied. "How, what?"

"You fell from the sky."

I cocked my head, my heart dropping. I had to lie to him again. "What are you talking about? If I fell from the sky, how am I not hurt?"

Johnny shook his head in confusion. "I could have sworn that you were flying…"

"Flying? Humans can't fly, Johnny."

'_He's lying… He has to be lying. I saw it with my own eyes.' _Johnny's voice said in my mind.

"I'm not lying!" As soon as I said that, I knew it was a mistake. His attention snapped to me and his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I never said anything about you lying."

'_Something is up. How did he find out what I was thinking?'_

Am I reading his mind? I need to find an escape. I can't make another mistake. "I need to go. Sorry, I'm procrastinating on my homework. I need to finish." I scurried past him and into the house. Once one of my feet came into the house, I got dizzy.

'_That tag-along is back. Damn it.'_

'_I probably should say hi to the kid. Eh, next time.'_

The voices of the gang flooded in my head. It felt like I was in a middle of a crowd that's screaming. My head started to pound and I pressed hard against my temples while trying to cover my ears to block the voices out. It hurts. My head…Stop…stop…stop!

"Ponyboy, are you okay!" Soda's worried voice came out and I felt someone touch my shoulder, but I was in too much agony to acknowledge it. _'What do I do? Should I call Darry? Take him to the hospital?'_

"Quiet!" I forced out through gritted teeth.

"What are you talking about?"

I grunted and pushed Soda away and rushed through my room. I only knocked into the wall a few times before entering. Once the door closed, everything was quiet. I sighed in relief and massaged my pounding head. My vision grew dizzy again, and everything went black.

_A girl screamed in terror and scrambled across the floor at what seemed like the park that was near where I lived. Her back pressed against the trunk of a tree. Her eyes grew even wider as a shadow approached her. She tried to stand up, but a knife floated over to her right eye, just skimming over the eyeball. She froze and screamed her pleads to be spared. The knife then plunged through the eye and through her skull, piercing itself on the tree. Her screams turned to a gurgling one and mouth foamed out of her mouth. More knifes flew to her and plunged through her body, pinning her against the tree._

I shot up from the floor, drenched in disgusting sweat. A paper was placed gently next to me and I picked it up. It was a very detailed drawing of the girl being pinned by the knives sitting in her own blood. A shadow of a person loomed over her. On the back, lower-right corner of the page was a date of today. It happened again. Is this some lame power to draw what you're dreaming of? What's the point in it? I tucked it next to my previous drawing of the dream with the bus.

I left my room after grabbing a new change of clothes. Soda walked out of the bathroom right when I came to the door. His hair was newly greased and his DX uniform was put on. "Oh, hey, Pones! You feeling better? I went to go check on you, but you were busy with something on your desk. Is the headache gone?"

"So-so. I'm fine though. I need to get ready. Bye, I'll see you soon." I closed the door and stripped myself before stepping the shower. I shifted uncomfortably in there. I feel like I'm being watched. That's a disturbing thought. With that thought in mind, I hurried out and got back into my clothes. I then headed to school. What time is it? It feels like it's really early in the morning. I hope I'm not an hour early for school. That happened once. It was terribly boring. A fire truck zoomed past me, sirens blaring. I shrugged and ventured to school.

I entered the tall school building. Students, which consisted mostly on Socs, walked around and chatted. Looks like I'm on time. Voices attacked at my head, giving me a migraine. I really hope this would end soon. I opened my locker and took the books I needed out and sat myself down in my first period class desk. It was silent until the bell wrung and the room was flooded by students. My mind was attacked again and I banged it against the desk in anguish. Classes were slow. Really slow. I went over to gym, which was my second period. It was swim unit. I was good at it, but it sucked.

I headed over to the boys' locker room to get changed. I was pushed against the lockers as I got in and was growled at. "You greaser scum, what did you do to them!?"

I was frozen. I couldn't speak. What were they talking about? "W-What?" I mustered out.

"You know what the fuck I'm talking about? Where are they? They were last seen with you?"

It occurred to me that they were talking about those Socs that jumped me and were killed. My stomach dropped and I looked down guiltily. "So you do know what happened! You little bitch! What happened?" I didn't answer, making him and a few other Socs growl. The one pinning me down threw a punch at me and everything went black.

When my vision came back, I clamped my hands over my mouth to stifle a scream. Red liquid was splattered across the lockers. I stood in a puddle of blood, intestines squished beneath me. Bodies were scattered around on the floor; some leaned against the lockers. I definitely was the one to kill them. Who else could have done it? I scurried out of the locker room where I heard the fire alarm go off.

**o-o-o**

**Extra:**

I caught the punch that was aimed at me and squeezed it. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you." I said with a sly smirk. I squeezed harder, earning a satisfying crack. The Soc cried and I kicked at his chest, sending him flying against the wall. Spit came out of his mouth and he passed out on the floor. I grinned wider and rose up a hand and everybody in the room levitated off the floor. They tried to yell but I flicked my hand and all of their necks snapped. "No, no. Screaming is no good." I clenched my hand and their insides exploded before I dropped them. Oh, Ponyboy's going to have a great fright. It's almost time. I let my control fade.


	4. Chapter 4

**Special thanks to **_**wildwolf13, Mermaidlover345, Goldenthorns, awolnation319**_**, and **_**SaiyanPrincess**_** for your awesome reviews.**

**o-o-o**

I walked outside, where everyone was forming crowds. Fires blazed high and hot, spreading quickly. Instead of the school being on fire, it was the a few houses next to it. A school bus and a few cars sat crashed in the inferno. I froze in place, scenes flashing in my mind. This… this was the dream I had. Everything was the same; all to the fading number on the side of the school bus. It can't be. It was all a dream. Fire trucks zoomed past the school, sirens blaring and pushing observers aside. They scurried out of their trucks and got ready. Students got closer only to be stopped by a fireman putting out a 'Do not enter' tape across the scene to separate everyone. I noticed some firemen entered the flames; some came out instantly with hurt citizens. The process kept repeating until they gave out a signal that everyone was out.

'_Help me! I don't want to die.' _A voice rang out in my head. My head snapped up. I looked around, finding no source of the voice from those around me. That would mean that the voice was in the fire. But, the firemen already threw the all-clear. He's going to die, if I don't do anything. But I can't. I would surely get caught and punished. But, I also can't leave him. I quickly looked around, finding no one looking in my direction. I ducked under the tape and sprinted towards the fire, letting his voice lead me to him. Behind me were some shouts. They must have noticed me, but I ignored them and my body faded in the black smoke of the fire. It burnt and I coughed, not finding the necessary oxygen. Some of my clothes caught aflame, but I could care less and I covered my nose and mouth with my shirt. It was almost impossible to see in this smoke. My eyes fought to stay open. Where is he? I reached a door where I opened it, cringing at the burning metal and the smell of burning flesh. Inside, I ducked under a bookshelf that was leaning dangerously against a wall and found a closet.

'_Mommy…Daddy…where are you?' _I opened that door too and found a small boy huddled in a corner, face black from soot. I quickly grabbed him and rushed out of the house and to the safe open where I could breathe again. Firemen saw me and quickly ran towards the kid and me with fire blankets in hands. They pushed us down, separating us, and rapped the blanket around us, suffocating the fire. I took deep, raged breaths and glanced over to the boy. He was breathing and unconscious. He'll be fine. The blanket was ripped off of me and the paramedics came towards me, looking for burns and injuries. But, I couldn't let that happen. I was supposed to be burnt like that sad marshmallow that no one would eat. A paramedic ripped off the burnt parts of my sleeve, finding nothing. She looked at me and we had that moment of eye contact before I pushed her away and scurried off before any questioning came.

My heavy legs carried off to who knows where. All I know is that I had to get away as fast as I could. Students moved aside to let me pass and I saw Johnny look at me worriedly before running after me.

"Ponyboy, wait!" Johnny called out, quickly lagging behind me. I didn't wait for him. Instead, I ran to the park and climbed on the top of the rusting monkey bars and sat down. What if someone saw me? What could happen to me?

"Ponyboy…" I heard and snapped my head up. Johnny looked at me witch concern. "Why did you run off?"

"I guess I had to get my mind off of things." I replied quickly. He looked at my burnt clothes.

"Why are your clothes burnt?" So he didn't notice me going into the fire. I bit my lips, which is starting to become a habit when I'm nervous. How do I explain this to him? "What's happening to you, Ponyboy?" Tears started to weld up in my green-gray eyes, which Johnny took notice of and sat down next to me. "You can tell me, you know?" Should I tell him? It wouldn't hurt to tell one person, right? I trust Johnny with my life. He's surely not going to tell, right?

"Id I t-tell you, promise me that you wouldn't tell a soul." I finally answered.

"I promise."

Taking a large, deep breath, I explained everything. "This is going to sound crazy but…" Throughout my explanation, I noticed Johnny's eyes grow wide with disbelief. "That's why I ran away from the fire. I would have been found out about my powers." I finished. I left out the part of the gory bodies that was found around me when I 'black out'. I couldn't bring myself to remind me of that horror.

"So you were forced to lie your whole life…You should tell the gang. They wouldn't tell anyone."

"I know. But it would be different. I'm not ready for change."

"But, if anything gets worse, promise me that you would tell them so they could help."

I nodded. Johnny smiled sheepishly at me. "On that note, can you show me one of them?" I laughed and nodded and flashed my hands out. Everything froze. I then got off the monkey bars, only to go on the other side of Johnny and sat down next to him. Time resumed.

"Like that?" I asked, making Johnny spin around in shock and screech a bit before falling off. I flung my right arm out towards Johnny, stopping his fall before steadying him on the ground safely. I laughed. This might not be bad at all. In fact, I feel relief.


	5. Chapter 5

**Special thanks to **_**ClariS, awolnation319, SaiyanPrincess,**_** and **_**Goldenthorns **_**for your encouraging reviews! :D**

**I'm having so much fun with my new touch screen laptop~ My screen is filthy… :( omg…I just now realized they have an emoji button on here. ****㈶1 I wonder if they would show up on ffn… fucking autocorrect ! grrr.**

**The school that Ponyboy goes too (Will Rogers High School) is haunted. Gasp! I'm so going to write about this one day! For fanfiction! I have goosebumps on my arms.**

**o-o-o**

"_Sir, there are more reports on the missing teenagers in Tulsa, Oklahoma!" A deputy ran up to his boss, clasping a beige envelope in his hand that held the documents of the children. The detective sighed and grasped the envelope in his hand and leafed through the pages._

"_I just don't understand how they just vanish in thin air…" He muttered._

"_There's more, sir. Apparently there was a crash by a high school there that set many of the houses aflame. A kid ran in the fire and came out, saving a small child's life."_

"_What does that have to do with anything?"_

"_I don't know, but the boy that went in came out with no burns on him, even though his body was set aflame. He escaped before anyone could really get with he looked like."_

"_Interesting. I'll have to stop by tomorrow and congratulate him. Now… did you stop by the morgue and get information on that girl's body…"_

Ponyboy sat up from the chair with a gasp. On his desk was another drawing of his dream. He furrowed his auburn eyebrows. If the dream about the crash happened, then…they are going to be coming to find him soon. But, when's tomorrow? It could be a week from now for all I know.

I got up from the desk and arched my back, hearing a satisfying crack. I did all of my necessary morning events and then picked up my heavy backpack. In the living room, Two-Bit was lounged on the couch, watching Mickey Mouse…well that was until Darry went up to him and changed the channel to the boring, but useful, news.

"_If you could see here, there is a formation of clouds and wind getting closer to Oklahoma City. We are getting readings that a tornado would hit there and possibly come through Tulsa, so be alert. On other words, besides all of the missing children, there was a murder of a young girl that attended Will Rogers High School. She will be missed."_

"Come on, Two-Bit. It's time to go to school." I stated. He turned to me with a sheepish expression.

"There's school today? I thought it was canceled because of that crash." He groaned.

"Apparently, there is school today. Schools don't care about if a fire is near it."

"I'm going to skip today."

"I know, you're just in school for kicks and stuff, but you're going to be 49 and still a JR with all of these absences. Bye." I left the house after a few goodbyes and joined up with Johnny along the way.

"Mornin', man." I greeted with a cheeky smile. He smiled shyly back.

"Mornin'."

We had small-talk the rest of the way to school. We even flew a bit of the (in request of Johnny), but I had to set him back down before we got caught or my arms gave in. I don't have super strength, but at least I'm getting better at landing. I stopped in front of the school, blood running cold. Johnny stopped when he noticed me not following him.

"What's wrong?" He asked. I pointed out at some of the cars parked I'm the parking lot. "They're just the cops."

Indeed they were but there was also a suspicious looking car parked right next to it. And if I didn't have that one dream, I wouldn't have given a damn about it. "I have a bad feeling about this…" I answered before we entered the school. Johnny went to his first class while I went to mine. The feeling was giving worse. I clutched my stomach. I'm going to be sick.

The bell rung and class began. Nothing happened for the first hour and a half and I was finally relaxing. The door opened and a couple of peace officers and two detectives walked in.

"Can I help you?" The teacher asked.

"I will only be a few, if we may." One of the detectives said. They looked familiar, but I couldn't place it… It's on the tip of my tongue.

"We are here to talk about the fire that happened." The other detective began. "There was a boy from this school that ignored the warnings and danger of the fire and entered it. He came out alive with a small child. Who was it?"

My body tensed up. That was me. No, they can't figure out that I was the one who saved the child. What would they do to me when—no, _if_—they find out? The detectives riffed through each student until one the main detective stopped at me.

"_He looks guilty. It's him." _I heard him think.

"You, with the auburn hair, stand up."

I did what he was told; my fingers slightly trembling. I could tell the detective noticed it and smiled softly at me.

"Were you the one who saved the child's life?"

My mouth opened before shutting. My throat dried up instantly and I couldn't find my words.

"He didn't do it, sir." A Soc stood up with a slight, cocky smile. The detective turned to him with an amused smile.

"Oh? Then who did?"

"I did. I saved the boy."

"Then, can I ask…how did you know the boy was hiding in the closet of one of the houses?"

"Just a hunch."

"Well, thank you…"

"Jackson, Billy Jackson."

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson. Without you, another life would have been lost."

They left the class and I slumped back in my chair. The detective didn't believe Billy one bit. He knows that I did it. The end of the school came slowly and I was the first to rush out. Where was Johnny? I want to leave as soon as possible.

"They are still here…" Someone squeaked towards me. Well, something. Remember when I said that I made friends with some animals? Here's one now. A small mouse curled up against my shoe to prevent from being seen as well. "They are waiting for you. Behind you…"

"Thank you." I smiled and the mouse scurried off making some girls scream. A hand instantly touched my shoulder.

"Excuse me, may we talk?" I turned around and the two detectives, minus the police men, were there.

I shook my head. "I'm in a rush. Sorry."

"_Just a quick talk…come on. What was his name…Playboy…Horse…" _

"First off, I really need to go find someone. Second, I don't care if it's quick. And lastly, it's Ponyboy."

I blushed a bit at telling my name and rushed off, not noticing that I read his mind. The last thing I heard of them was the man whispering to the other. "Keep a close on him. Get information too."

Johnny was waiting outside the front doors of the school and greeted me with a smile, but it turned to a concerned look after seeing my expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"The detectives came in my first period room."

"Mine too. Did they find you out?"

"I think so…the detective is sharp… I'm scared Johnny…"

"It'll be fine. Nothing's going to happen. We'll just have to be more alert."

"There's the problem. Sometimes my powers just randomly burst out or gain new ones that I can't control after a while."

The rest of the day, I noticed people watching me from time to time. Well, I noticed after I was told by some of the birds. They only stopped trailing me when I lost them in an alley. But, another thing happened in that alley that was as bad as waking up to bloody corpses.


	6. Chapter 6

My feet dragged me down the alleyway that was getting pretty dark. The sun was setting in a variety of colors and the smell of smoke and water filled my nostrils. I turned another corner, getting closer to the end of the alley. One of my sneakers splashed in a nearly dried out puddle, letting water seep in my shoe.

"_What is a kid doing here?"_ I heard and snapped around, instantly hitting my face against a firm chest. I backed up quickly to look at the figure. He was tall, scruffy, and was ripped. His head was shaved and he had a numerous of tattoos against his tanned skin. His cold black eyes glared me down. "What are you doing here, kid?"

"U-Um…"

The man paid no second thought as he brought up a fist, swinging it towards my face. My instincts kicked in and I sidestepped the punch and my left hand grabbed his wrist. He was about to rip the wrist away from my small hands, but his body went stiff. The dark eyes went wide, his mouth was closed shut in a firm line before the opened and blood flew out of his mouth. The man's body went limp and he fell down on the ground.

Is…he dead...no…no!

I dropped down on my knees and pressed fingers to his neck. There was no pulse. I killed him, just like the others. But this time I was conscious.

"What are you going to do now?" I weakly looked behind and myself with a clam smile. He—well, me—was covered in blood and his eyes were amused. But, I knew he was not actually there. The form was constantly flickering.

I could not speak, only gibberish came out of mouth. He sighed. "You're pitiful. Honestly, humans are weak. Now listen to me and follow my instructions if you don't want to get caught. Go home and don't return until tomorrow at dawn. There, certain instruction will be left for you to follow." My bloodied reflection faded away, leaving my shaking form with the corpse. I slowly got up. What else could I do besides being caught? As I made myself back home, I quickly made my way to my room, closing the door, and sliding to the floor. That's when I broke down. Tears fell like waterfalls and I clutched my legs against my chest. I was alone in the house right now, but I didn't want to see anyone at this moment.

My pulse pulsed hard and I screamed, punching the wall behind me. A cracking noise was muffled by the sounds of my sobs. My hand throbbed and I knew that my bone had shattered. It didn't matter anyways. It's not like it won't heal. I screamed again and a light from a lamp shattered. My tears continued and books flew across the room as well as other unattached things that weren't heavy. I guess the noise was so loud that I didn't notice that someone had entered the room. Hands embraced me tightly and I looked up to see who it is. It was Johnny.

"Ponyboy…what happened?" He asked.

"I…" I hesitated. "I'm just overwhelmed, t-that's all." I lied. How could I tell Johnny, the puppy of the gang, that I murdered people? I wiped away the stray tears from me eyes and grasped both of my arms against my biceps. My lips curled up in a small, fake smile. "I'm cool now, no worries."

Johnny frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, man."

The next day I went back to the alley just like I was told. There were no body. Instead there was a paper in a plastic bag. I picked it up, opening it and taking out the paper. It was a map. I unfolded it and instantly took notice of the red circle around an area. It wasn't too far from here. On the back of the map was a sticky note. I peeled it off and read the words.

_Look behind you_

I did and saw a duffel bag on the floor. Carefully, I opened it and recoiled. The stench of decay was so strong. The body inside was chopped up in multiple pieces. I zipped the bag up again. Was I supposed to take the body and leave it somewhere? Probably. I swung the strap over my shoulder and felt the weight of the man. If only I had super strength. With a jump, I soared in the air to find where the map was circled.

It was afternoon when I got back home. Only one other person died from my left hand touching them.

I hurried into my room, closing the door shut and locking it. There was only one solution, and that was to lock myself away. If I can't see anyone, how could I kill them?

**o-o-o**

**Sodapop's POV…**

Ponyboy's been acting strangely. When I saw him passing the DX a few days ago, he avoided me and his eyes were dark. Pony's been locked in his room for days. He only comes down when he goes to school, but locks himself in his room when he comes back. Johnny said that Ponyboy wasn't talking to him or anyone either. I'm really worried.

Ponyboy has been eating less and less too and he won't open his door all that much.

"Ponyboy?" I asked, knocking on the door lightly. I heard ruffling on the other side. "Can I come in?" No answer. I jiggled the knob. It was locked.

Darry stood behind me with bags under his eyes. I wasn't the only one affected by this sudden shut-in. Everyone in the gang was.

"If you don't come out, we're breaking down this door." Darry declared. "On the count of three."

"Darry I don't think-" Johnny started. I forgot the rest of the gang was there.

"One."

"It's not worth it." Steve said.

"Two. Three" Darry went to slam his body against the door, but the door opened and he fell in. Ponyboy was standing there, eyes darting across the room at everyone. His hands tightly gripped against his arms.

"You're alive!" I cheered and tried to hug him, but Ponyboy flinched away. His hands gripped tighter around his arms, making them turn a mixture of white and blue. Was something wrong with his arms? I always see his hands on them like that. My mouth opened to say something, but I heard a loud knock on the door. Someone's at the door? We hardly ever get visitors that knock.

Ponyboy went to go back to the room but Darry grabbed his collar. "You're coming too."

I opened the door first and found four men outside. Two were officers, the others were…detectives? The two non-police members flashed badges. "Hello, can we come in?"

"Sure… What's wrong?" I stepped aside, letting them in. Two-Bit rounded a corner, instantly catching sight of the newcomers.

"Uh-oh. What did Darry do this time?"

"No. This isn't about Darry." One of the detectives said. Everyone else rounded the corner. Ponyboy instantly froze in spot at the sight of them.

"We're here to talk about, Ponyboy Curtis."

**o-o-o**

**I've been feeling really down lately. One of my best friends is hospitalized because she tried to commit suicide... It just sort of happened out of the blue. I don't really know how to deal. But, thanks for reviewing: _Goldenthorns, KaiTheB_, and _awolnation319._**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you all for your support. I have good news. My friend finally got out of the mental hospital and is happier than ever.**

**o-o-o**

Ponyboy's POV…

"What did he do? Darry asked, eyes narrowing. He sat down on the couch, dragging me to sit next to him. Soda also sat down, and Johnny squeezed in, in the extra space. The rest of the gang was standing coolly. The head detective sat down in the arm chair, crossing his legs and opening a file folder.

"That's what I'm here to find out." The detective took out the papers in the file. "My name is agent Nathaniel Jackson, if you must know." Nathaniel skimmed through the papers and photos. After that he looked at me, and frowned. My fingers tightened around my arms.

"If I may, may I search your room?" The other detective asked. I nodded.

"First door on the right." The detective left.

"_I have to be careful to not get my mind read like last time." _I heard. Did I read his mind last time I saw him. My blood ran cold. That would mean he knows my secret.

"You see, we had many strange occurrences happening in Tulsa. People missing, that boy from Ponyboy's school that ran out of the fire without any burns, a teenager slammed into the lockers by a mysterious force, the missing body in the morgue, a cheerleader being murdered."

"Are you saying that Ponyboy has something to do with this?" Soda asked.

"I think he has everything to do with this and I'm trying to confirm that."

Steve laughed. "Are you kidding me? The kid can't do anything wrong. He can't even cheat off of another person's test without feeling guilty."

The other detective walked out and nodded towards Nathaniel. He held up a folder before joining his side.

"That is all for now. We really need to get going, but we'll be back soon, you can count on that. I have a feeling we almost cracked this mystery. It's nice seeing you again, Ponyboy." Nathaniel held out his hand for a shake. I stiffened, eyeing the hand. If I shake it, he'll die and everyone would know. The gang would hate me, I'll be taken away, and I would have no one. I won't know what will happen to me. Will I be executed, experimented on? But I can't stay still. He'll know if I don't shake it. I'll be even more of a suspect. I slowly reached out my right hand and shook his hand. I pulled it back instantly and back to my arm. He smiled at me and got up. He didn't die. Why? Did the ability finally quieted down? No… I still feel the tingling of it on my arm. The detective left with the officers.

"What was that about?" Two-Bit asked.

"Mind explaining?" Darry asked me. Johnny looked at me too but his eyes were filled with more understanding than the others.

"I wish I knew…" I muttered and left the couch, locking myself in my room again. My vision blurred before it went black. Again…?

_A shadowy figure walked down the street, the streetlights flickered out as he passed by. The figure stepped on a weed that was growing out of a crack. The weed instantly withered away. I could feel the dark aura and death around him. It was overwhelming._

_The scene changed to myself overlooking Tulsa. Everything was silent. The wind blew by my body calmingly. I was beginning to think that this was a regular dream. That's when it happened. Something fell from the sky, dropping quickly towards the city. It hit, and everything was blew to smithereens. Buildings fell down, screams were heard, and trees caught on fire._

My body shot up from the desk. I looked down finding two drawings. One was of the figure walking down the street. The lights behind him were out, but the lights before him were still on. On the ground, you can make out the dead weed.

The other was of the explosion. The drawing caught the picture in mid-explosion.

If I drew this, then something big was coming up. I went to place the drawings back by the others and noticed that the other drawings were missing. I remembered that the detective went in here. Did he take them? I leaned back against my chair. They're going to know my secret for sure. No. It'll be fine. They would just think that I'm just drawing the scenes from the newspapers.

I immediately relaxed. A butterfly fluttered in the open window. Was that always open? I shrugged. The butterfly landed next to me on the desk. Its wings went up and down slowly. I carefully and slowly reached out to touch it. But before I reached it, it flew away from the desk, it slightly touched my fingers of my left hand before it fell back on the desk. It didn't move again. It was dead.

"I guess I still can't control it…" I muttered, closing the window back up sadly.

The next day we got another nock and on the other side the detectives were standing there. Their auras were mostly red.

"This is urgent, open up." Nathaniel commanded, banging on the door. Darry opened the door and was pushed to the side. "where's Ponyboy Curtis?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for reviewing!**

**o-o-o**

The detectives pushed themselves in without permission. "Where's Ponyboy Curtis?"

Darry scrunched his eyebrows together. "In his room."

"Get him out here."

To say, Darry and the others, who were in the house, was confused. What had Ponyboy done that got detectives on his back? Well they were going to find out now. He just hopes that it is all just a misunderstanding.

Darry walked to Ponyboy's room, knocking gently on the wooden door. On the other side, Darry heard a rustle of blankets. "Ponyboy get out here. Now." There was no answer so Darry knocked harder to the point of nearly pounding on the door. This time, the door creaked open and he saw a greenish-gray eye of his kid brother. The door was pushed open more and Ponyboy slipped out. Darry winced at the sight of him. Somehow, he looked worse than yesterday. Dark, black bags sat under his tired eyes. His skin paled drastically and can be compared to a porcelain doll. His hair was not greased back. You could see his arms had dark bruises around where his hands were clutching too tightly.

Ponyboy shifted uncomfortably under the stare of Darry. He looked away from the cool eyes.

"The detectives are here again." Darry explained and pushed the skittish teen towards the living room. All attention turned to him and Ponyboy sat between Johnny and Soda on the couch. The detectives wasted no time to start.

Nathaniel opened a folder from inside his trench coat and took out the drawings. "You drew these, am I wrong?"

Ponyboy nodded slowly and the gang just looked at the pictures in amazement. It was like they were actually looking in a colored photograph.

"Do you see anything off about these?" After silence, Nathaniel continued. "These drawings are about what had happened lately around here. The car crashing into the bus…" Nathaniel took out a newspaper and pointed to the picture. It was the exact same picture as the drawing. "Everything is exactly the same; from the bus number to the school."

"He could have been drawing the photo from the newspaper." Steve reasoned. In truth, he was worried about his best friend's little brother (although he would never admit it).

"That would not explain how all these drawings were dated days before the event happened. It could not explain how one of these drawings were of when my partner and I were talking. The dialogue written on that picture got what we said, word to word. The drawing of the cheerleader dead was pinned up exactly how it was in the crime scene. We had not shown the picture of the death scene to the media."

"We're thinking that Ponyboy here, has the ability to see the future." The other detective said. Laughter erupted in the living room.

"The kid? See the future?" Dally chuckled.

"Indeed. It sounds silly, but I am almost completely sure that it is what I say. Now," Nathaniel took out a piece of paper and color pencils from the folder and placed them neatly on the coffee table in front of Ponyboy.

"Predict something."

Ponyboy just stared at the paper, lightly biting his lips. He looked up at the detectives. "I don't have premonitions. That's ridiculous."

Nathanial smiled amusingly at Ponyboy. His partner leaned down and whispered in his ear. "What now? He is not going to confess."

"Well, sorry to hear that. You could have helped the country. A shame. You could have helped find the one who murdered the students. It is odd, though. The cheerleader was pinned at a nearly impossible angle. It would have taken a lot of effort to do so. It is almost like, she was lifted up. But, we found that there was no DNA that belonged to anyone else on her." Nathaniel said and stood up. "Well I must be going. Clearly I made a mistake on my research." He turned around the leave. Something shimmering caught Ponyboy's attention and he saw something slide into the detective's hand. The boy immediately recognized that it was the shape of a knife. A moment later, Nathaniel turned around, flinging his arm out. The knife was thrown at him at top speed. On instinct, Ponyboy raised his right hand up and the knife stopped in midair. It hovered a few inches from his face. It was then when Ponyboy noticed that it would have missed him if he had never stopped it.

"Caught you." Nathaniel's voice cut through Ponyboy. Ponyboy dropped the knife and it bounced a bit on the dirty carpet. The gang's eyes were thrown at Ponyboy. Their eyes were wide (except for Johnny who got used to that power Ponyboy had (although it was still astonishing)). The detective just smiled in amazement and picked the knife back up, putting it away. "Amazing. I never seen someone like you for a long time. But, their power wasn't as intense at yours. All they could do was go through walls."

He sat back down, crossing a leg over the other. "How long have you noticed you had these abilities?"

Ponyboy sunk down on the couch. Should he tell everyone the secret he had been trying to hide for his whole life? There was no way out of this. But, what would the others think? "My whole life…" He whispered, finding it hard to speak.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Your family and friends are all looking at you with shock. Does that mean they did not know? You were lying to them your whole life?" There were no answer from Ponyboy. "So, since we're on the topic of your abnormal abilities. Can I ask you this? What else can you do?"

Ponyboy tensed and images of the dead bodied came to mind. Nathaniel noticed the tensing and continued. "The missing body in the morgue. We tested the blood sample that was left over. It told us that it was your blood. But, if that was completely right, you should have been dead. How are you here?"

"I… can't get injured…"

"That's amazing! You mean if I would to stab this knife into you, you would just heal?"

Ponyboy nodded and Nathaniel took out his knife and grabbed Ponyboy's frail arm.

"Whoa, stop! You're not going to stab him!" Two-Bit was the first to snap out of his daze. Dally was the next and grabbed the detective's wrist that held the raised knife.

"It's okay, guys. Nothing would happen." Ponyboy reassured, getting more comfort that the gang did not hate him.

Nathaniel wripped his wrists out of Dally's grip and he gently picked up Ponyboy's arm into his hand. He quickly but thinly sliced the blade against his forearm. Red blood flooded out, glistening in the natural light of the house. It slowly dripped down his arm, but only one drop could make it before everyone watched the cut close itself up. Ponyboy whipped the blood off his arm and pulled it away from Nathaniel's hand.

"Astonishing! Phenomenal! That makes you the one who went in the fire and came out with no burns! It must be amazing to do all of that."

Something snapped within Ponyboy. Is he blind? Does he not see the state that he was in because of them? All the trouble and embarrassment he's been in? "You think what I was cursed with is amazing? Sure, they can be useful at some points of life. But all the trouble I've been in. Everyone thinks I'm a freak at school. I get concept migraines from hearing people's thoughts. And I should tell you, there are some dirty thoughts going through you guys' minds sometimes." Ponyboy pointed an accusing finger at Steve, Dally, and Two-Bit. "Not to mention, you can't get much done with time frozen in ten seconds. Being able to breath underwater would just get lifeguards on your case. Crowds are just a blur of color. Whenever I touch someone with my left hand, their heart stops!"

As soon as that came out of his mouth, Ponyboy clamped a clammy hand over his mouth. That wasn't supposed to come out. Nathaniel's amazed expression turned to a serious one.

"How would you find that out? You murdered someone? Were you the one who murdered those people?"

"Of course he didn't! Ponyboy would never do something like that! Soda broke in the conversation. "Tell him!" Ponyboy couldn't reply. It is all true. He was the one who murdered all of the victims. Guilt pushed down on his shoulders as heavy as the weight of the sky.

"So you did it. I'm sorry boy, but you have to be taken away."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all that reviewed! I hope you love this chapter! . Or at least like.**

**I somehow smell like…you know when you just went skiing or snowboarding, and you were in all of that gear, and then you go to a contained area filled with others who are taking a break from the hobby/sport? I smell like that. I wonder why I smell like that, because I didn't do anything for the past day.**

**o-o-o**

It has happened. One of the things that I feared the most is happening. More men came in the house and went to grab me. Soda placed an arm protectively in front of me. "You can't just take him!" He exclaimed.

"Actually, we can. He's a danger to society and a murderer." Nathanial said.

"He's not a murderer!"

"Soda's right. H has never murdered anyone!" Darry added. A cop reached over Soda's outstretched arm and grabbed me tightly. He shoved myself to the ground and I didn't resist. Why would I? I have no clue what to do now. How will the gang react to me after all of this fiasco? Everything would change! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if some stopped talking to me. I started to evolve into a monster, not that I was already one from the start.

My vision started to darken, but I couldn't tell if it was because I lost my breath as I hit the ground or it was because that darker me was starting to emerge. I can only hope it's not the later. But, I have the worst of luck. I could already feel its glower and presence that's forcing itself free.

I cried out in agony as I tried to prevent it from taking control. A force left my back. Before I could process what it was, I fell into darkness.

**o-o-o**

**Johnny's POV**

I had to watch my best friend get grabbed faster than anyone could react and get thrown to the ground. I couldn't do anything since more cops came in and held each individual back. Some of the stronger greasers took more on them to halt them from pushing the police officer off of Ponyboy. I waited though. Ponyboy can probably get himself out of this situation, right? _Right_? Yet, he didn't show any sign of a struggle, nor was he planning on it. He just lay there, the officer on top of him. His eyes were dull and were emotionless like a doll. Was he really going to give up?

"Ponyboy!" I called out, too quiet for my liking. I squirmed in the hold I was in. But all of my attempts were futile. I didn't want my friend to be taken away! He was one of the few things that kept me alive. I don't know how I would deal without him. Not only that but he was fourteen. He shouldn't have to deal with that. He's so young. The youngest of us all.

Ponyboy let out a scream and the officer that was pinning him own was flung to the wall and knocked unconscious. Everyone else was hurled away; as well as some pieces of furniture.

I managed to land softly on the unconscious officer that held me captive. I should have been a lot happier of that, but my mind was somewhere else; Ponyboy.

The feeling of the room changed drastically. My eyes flickered towards Ponyboy and then to the mirror that was cracked slightly. Something had caught my attention. My eyes widened at the sight of it. Ponyboy's reflection was there; it too was lying down. But his form was covered in blood and no wounds. He had a smile curved up evilly and his eyes shimmered with insanity. I ferociously rubbed my eyes, deciding that I was too tired. When I looked back, it was gone.

Sighing in relief, I looked back. Ponyboy was stumbling back on his feet. His lean body swayed to-and-fro gently, arms following suit. I watched in horror as his lips curled up just like how his reflection was before. A low, almost inaudible, chuckle came from his lips. A look in his dull eyes screamed out that he wasn't Ponyboy. The form before me reminded me of a demon or a shadow. Or possibly, something darker. His insane eyes moved over to us and Soda, who was also conscious, gasped.

"You're… You're not Ponyboy..." Soda stammered.

Ponyboy smiled in amusement. "No, of course not. I wouldn't compare myself to someone as weak-minded as him. I _would_ kill you, but when Ponyboy becomes conscious and sees your dead, lifeless forms lying on the carpet, he would take his own life. That would mean I would die with him. But, that won't be the same for them." Ponyboy jabbed his thumb at some of the dizzy detectives and scientists that came in when there was an uproar in the house. He turned to them. "How should I take care of you? The power Ponyboy has is so limited right now. It's not quite yet complete. I could just stop your organs and hearts simultaneously with just a touch, but what's the fun in that. I want to hear you beg for mercy; have blood paint the walls. In the same time, though, I don't really want to do work. So I'll watch something else shred you people up."

A whistle pierced through the air, dog barks crashed in soon after. A few seconds later, a wild pit-bull came running in the house. It growled at everyone and everything. Ponyboy scratched behind its ears and mutter lowly, "Sick them." The dog immediately went into action and pounced on a scientist. Its teeth sunk into his stomach and tore up the skin. Just like he had said, blood started to flicker onto the wall. The scientist screamed until the dog lashed at his throat and everything went silent.

Ponyboy laughed, but his laughter stopped short when a needle pressed into his leg. He looked down and saw Nathaniel lying on the ground a syringe in his hand. The result was almost immediate. Ponyboy's body went limp and he fell to the floor in a heap. They had drugged him.

More reinforcements came in, taking the unconscious teen away. "No…" I whimpered out. My beaten body shook. I should have been more confident to prevent Ponyboy from going, but right now, I'm terrified. I will admit, some parts of me are relived that he is being taken away. But that is all fear talking. I could see on Soda and Steve's faces say that it's the same as what I was thinking. Tears fell down my eyes. I willed my legs to move and run after my best friend, but all I could do was sit there, petrified on the belly of an unconscious officer. Is this…the last time I would even glance at my best friend? Is this the last of everything together?

**o-o-o**

**Ponyboy's POV…**

I creaked open my eyes, my head pounding in pain. White light streaked my vision and I instantly covered them. I took a moment to get used to the lighting before uncovering them. I sat up, ignoring the dizziness. Where am I? I was in a white room that certainly wasn't mine. Looking around, I noticed that all that furnisher the room had was a twin sized, wire bed with white sheets and a pillow and a metallic dresser was put to the side. I would mention that there was also a sink, toilet, and shower, but those were exposed so the camera in the corner of the room could see. No privacy at all. There was also no windows. This room reminded me somewhat of an old mental hospital that was slightly mixed with a prison. There was one thing missing though: the gang.

Everything came rushing back to me. Oh, right. I was taken away. Would it be better this way? Probably. But the question still remains: where am I? I slipped out of bed, only to jump back in when my feet touched the cold floor. I forget that not all bedrooms have carpets. I slipped out again, now expecting that the floor is cold. My blue hospital gown fell back down to full length. On the floor, next to my feet was a fair of slippers (which I gratefully put on). Now what? Should I go see what's outside this room to help me figure more out? That sounds like a good idea.

I walked towards the metallic door, reached out for the cool doorknob, and found that it was locked. Sighing in defeat, I retreated back to bed.

An hour of just sitting there, taking a few naps along the way, the door opened and a scientist pushed his way in. He looked at me and smiled, but I could tell that it was strained. "You're awake, Mr. Curtis!" He mused and walked over to me. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine…" I answered awkwardly. He caught onto it quickly.

"Oh, I forget my manners. I'll be your doctor while you're here. Jones is my name."

"Were am I?" I asked, a bit calmer.

"The Institute of the Gifted. It's a place for people like you. We help you control your powers."

That caught my attention. They could help me? "When can I leave?" I immediately asked.

"When we know you're ready. Do you have any other questions?"

I opened my mouth to ask another, but before I could do that, my stomach growled. My ears turned a bit red in embarrassment.

"I shall get you food and you can ask me after or during the meal. Are you allergic to anything by any chance?" I shook my head and he left the room. Minutes later, he came back with a tray of food. On the tray was a cup of water in a Styrofoam cup, a spork, and a paper plate with…is that chicken? I poked the food with my spork right after it was placed on my lap. It looks like food…smells life food… I nibbled on a piece of chicken. It did not taste like food. It sort of did. But the other types of food on the plate tasted pretty much the same. Food was food though, and I munched on it.

After I ate, Mr. Jones pushed the tray to the side and asked me to proceed in the questions once more. But, my mind was still in a daze so I asked a concerning question. "How am I supposed to take a shower and go to the bathroom in private?"

Mr. Jones chuckled a bit before answering. "In the drawer there is a shower curtain you can hook up. As for the toilet, you can just take the curtain off and block yourself from the camera. I know, we should have given you more privacy, but we can't risk the alone time of some patients. Now, shall I take you on a tour? I will leave the room and you can change. Your new clothes are in the drawer. The door will be unlocked during the day and locked during the night."

I nodded once more and he left the room. I got back up and opened the drawer. Inside, I found skin-tight suits (some were creepily latex), shirts, pants, underwear, and jackets. A pair of combat boots were pressed down in another drawer.

I chose out a new pair of underwear, black cargo pants (not wanting to wear the skin-tight suits, especially the latex), slid on socks and the black combat boots, which were my size, and a black shirt with a matching jacket. Most of the clothes in the drawers were black. I guess it's because the color matches with anything. I placed the hospital gown on my bed. Where have my old clothes gone? I shrugged and opened the door. Mr. Jones nodded in approval.

"Most choose the same outfit as you." He said as we made ourselves down the long hallway. I was at one of the last rooms in the hallway. I memorized the number on the door: F89. "There are units for every hallway. A, B, C, and so on. This is unit F. There are 100 rooms for every unit."

We passed more rooms. As we went along, there were more people, all of which were leaving or entering their room. I noted that the rooms inside most were decorated and colorful. I gave Mr. Jones a questioning look.

"You aren't supposed to leave the institute without special permission from the director. It's hard to get permission. I haven't even seen him, you see. But, since anyone would go crazy if the room stays like yours, we offer points."

"Points?"

"Yes. The more points you have, the more you can buy. Food is free because of that. You gain points in winning. Every day, more competitions are put up on a bulletin board in the lounge room. These competitions range from obstacle courses to dodge ball. But, each competition can be fatal if not done carefully. Killing or maiming is forbidden, and can cost you all of your points. But once in a while, it happens. To sign up, you go to the board and sign your name under the competition you want to do."

At the end of the hallway, we turned a right and Mr. Jones ripped out a paper. It was my schedule. I looked over it.

_Ponyboy Michael Curtis Age: 14_

_6:00 AM- 7:00 AM: Wake up_

_7:00 AM- 8:00 AM: Breakfast: Mess Hall_

_8:00 AM- 10:00 AM: Physical Education: Field_

_10:00 AM- 10:30 AM: Break_

_10:30 AM- 1:00 PM: Controlling Powers: North Gym_

_1:00 PM- 2:30 PM: Lunch: Mess Hall_

_2:30 PM- 4:00 PM: Obstacle: East Gym_

_4:00 PM- 4:30 PM: Language Arts: LA1_

_4:30 PM- 5:00 PM: Science/ Math: SM2_

_5:00 PM- 5:30 PM: History: HIS2_

_5:30 PM- 7:00 PM: Supper: Mess Hall_

_7:00 PM- 9:00 PM: Free_

_9:00 PM- 10: PM: Check-Up_

_10:00 PM: Lights Out_

At least a few were normal classes. On the back of the paper was a map. My classes as well as the Mess Hall and room was circled in orange marker. We walked more, passing many hallway entrances that were labeled. We first came upon the Mess Hall. Mr. Jones showed me how to use the food machine and told me that it cost points to get snacks and desserts. That means no chocolate cake for a while.

We then passed the lounge room. It was a large room with rows of sofas thrown around and with tables. A few TVs were scattered around as well as bean bags. A few patients were already there. They turned towards me, sizing me up. They smirked upon each other, shaking their heads. Rude.

Mr. Jones showed me where the library was as well as my classes. He then returned me to my room. I was still full of energy but I could tell it was getting late since some kids were retreating to their rooms.

"Your classes begin tomorrow. I understand that you don't have an alarm clock or a wall clock in your room. Each patient starts out with 1,000 points. You can choose the two and any other product from this magazine. This will be your magazine. To order, all you have to do is write it down on the back with this pen. Include page number. Then leave it on your dresser. It shall be delivered to you in that same day. Good night, Ponyboy." He handed me the items.

"Good night. Thank you."

I entered my room and sat on my bed (noting that the robe on my bed was gone). I looked through the large catalog, searching for the clock section. Each item was expensive. Just n standard alarm clock costs 300 points. I looked at all of them and decided on a bronze colored alarm clock with roman numerals on it. That was 350 points. I also chose a wall clock in a similar fashion. That was 300 points. I also picked a color to paint my room. I chose sunset orange. The paint was 100 points. I was reminded that there would be homework from my educational classes and looked through other sections. I picked a dark brown backpack (which was 50 points). I would have to get a desk and a chair later. They cost a lot of points. After scribbling my order down and placing the catalog on the dresser, I got ready for bed and fell asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. I didn't realize how tired I was. It was going to be a strange day tomorrow, that's for sure.

I had a regular dream that night. It showed the faces of the gang. How I miss them already.

The next morning I was awaken by the ringing of an alarm clock and the smell of paint. I sat up, not recognizing my surrounds. I looked around and remembered where I was. I stood up and went to the light switch. Thank you night vision for coming in handy. Once it was on, I saw that the room was painted sunset orange. The ringing alarm clock was on my bed and I rushed to turn it off. Note to self, get a nightstand and lamp. On my dresser was the catalog, which had the orders crossed out, the backpack, and clock, which I would have to hang later.

I then went to get ready for the morning, not wanting to mess up anything on the first day. My stomach twisted and turned in nervousness. I wish Mr. Jones could just go with me everywhere on the first week. After getting ready, I left the room and to the Mass Hall. As I pass, I saw other students dressed like me with backpacks heading the same direction. A lot of them were using their powers already with smiles on their faces. That's right I'm not alone. I smiled gently. It dropped as soon as a girl ran through me and everyone that got in her way. Will I get used to that?

Some kids flew over the others to get to the Mess Hall. I remembered Mr. Jones saying that most patients here have one power. That makes me abnormal here. But, if that's true, then they would suspect me to have only one. I could use that to my advantage.

I ate breakfast alone and headed to my first class after. I got looks from other kids upon entering the field. I never actually entered the field on the tour, but when I did today, it took my breath away. I was expecting an indoor field or actually being let outside in a closed off area. Well, I was technically still inside. There was a large grass field (not turf), surrounded by a track. On the side of the track along-side a wall were chin-up bars. A few weights were scattered on the side too. The field's "walls" were actually windows and you can see the sky on the roof. Through the windows, you can see the outside world. Outside was an everlasting plain. I guess they had small holes in them because I could feel a slight breeze coming from them. There was over fifty people on the large field. Most of them were talking to each other, informing me that they are older students. There were some alone ones, telling me that they are new or that they are socially awkward.

"Alright you weaklings! Listen up!" Someone shouted, quieting down the class. I could already see, towering over everyone was a tanned, muscular woman. Her head was shaved and she was disturbingly in the latex suit. My eyes started to burn in horror. It got worse when she took off her sunglasses to show her hard, small, blue eyes. "Stretch then take twelve laps! If I see you walk or stop once, unless it's for tying your shoe, you will take another twelve adding onto how many you have left! She blew a whistle and everyone started to stretch. Meanwhile, I paled, blood running cold. I can't do this. Running two miles nonstop gets me tired. How am I supposed to run twelve laps? Plus, the track is way larger than the track at Will Rodgers High School. I'm going to puke.

Kids were already starting to run by the time I got my first stretch done. They sped through it and, in seconds, were done. I wish I had super speed. I soon went to start my jog. I had stripped off my jacket long ago. At the fourth lap, my breaths started to burn, but I kept running. Some kids had stopped along the way and were yelled at. I only stopped a few times to tie my shoe, thankful for the short break. By the last lap, I was staggering. My vision swayed back and forth. Once I finished, I flopped on the grass, trying to catch my breath. I licked my lips, hoping for water. A few drops fell on them and my eyes snapped open. The teacher was slowly pouring bottled water in my mouth.

"Good work. I never seen a new kid run that well on their first day unless they were the fast ones. For that, drink this water well. There is still one more activity." She said. I desperately gargled the water like my life depended on it. It was the best water I had ever tasted. It was another hour until everyone finished.

"Okay, go do twenty pull ups! Then you are dismissed!" The teacher, who I now know as Ms. Benet, ordered. I stumbled towards a bar, already sore. It'll only be worse tomorrow. I slowly went through the exercise (noticing the people with super strength go through this like it was nothing) and left to go to my room. I needed to take a shower after all that.

The water of the shower soothed my muscles and I felt like I wasn't suffering for those few minutes. It was a short break to me. Sadly, I headed to my next class.

The gym that I went to was like a normal gym but way larger. It had targets littering the floors, rings in the sky, and areas for tournaments and lifting.

"Welcome back, everyone!" A man walked in. He was bald and old, but had the feeling of power consume him like a fog. "Welcome newbies, also! Today, we are all going to be separated in groups. People that can control the weather, go over there." About nine went to the instructed area. I had to grab my forearm to prevent one person from bumping into my left hand. "If you have multiple powers, I want you to join a group you want to practice in. Anyone who gets premonitions, go over there." The list went on and I decided to join the flying group. I needed practice on that, no joke. My landing isn't the best. I listened to the others, not hearing of a death hand group. But, everyone was separated.

The teacher that sorted us went to the pyromaniacs, conjuring a ball of fire in his hands almost instantly in front of them. Another teacher walked towards us. She looked young (very short), but her eyes displayed years. I could tell that she was way older than she seemed. Over twenty, that's for sure.

"Hi!" She greeted, waving her hand in her latex suit. Almost all the teachers are wearing that suit. Wonder why. "So we're going to be taking this to the sky. Follow me!" She jumped up and easily floated near a ring. We followed suit. I was a bit unsteady, but that was better than some of the kids. Some went up and came crashing down before coming back up unsteadily. "It will be simple today. We're just going to go through these hoops. When you finish, you will land. I will note of all that needs to be fixed. Start!" The teacher floated to the side. Kids, one-by-one, went through them and landed on the floor. It was soon my turn. I went through them. Leaning my body left to go left, right to go right, up to go up, and down to go down. As I went through, flying became a little easier. I also noticed that the rings were of different shapes and sizes. The further I went through the obstacle, the harder it became. The rings were extra small now. But I squeezed through them nevertheless. My landing was rough and I slipped on the floor. Chuckles came from the other flyers. The more talented ones went first to show off their skills.

Once everyone completed the skill, the teacher went to each one of us to talk. "Mr. Curtis." The teacher began when she came to me. How did she know my name? "You did quite well for a beginner. But, I noticed you had your head in the clouds at some points. When flying, you have to be extra watchful. You might get hit by storms, flying objects, birds. You never know. Your body slightly leans to the right more than the left so try straitening up more. When landing, all you have to do is slightly slow down to the point where you are nearly at a stop, then plop on the floor. Good job, though."

We went through the rings again and I could already feel my improvements. I was completely steady and I landed smoothly on the ground. After everyone finished, she changed the course to those with obstacles. Trainees from other groups joined ours. The weather controllers floated up on a cloud or stayed on the ground. A lot of people with sharp senses grabbed Frisbees or poles, getting ready to throw them. The first person went and was instantly shot down by lightning. More came and more fell. My turn came up and I watchfully went through. A Frisbee was thrown at me and I dodged up and was cast aside by a blast of wind. I hit the wall and plummeted to the floor, managing to catch myself before I broke anything. I couldn't have people find out about the power to heal or they might actually try to kill me during the competitions.

I went back in line and tried again. I dodged a bolt of lightning and dove around a javelin. A gust of wind came and I went towards the source, managing to stay afloat. Fog crept up and I couldn't see. A Frisbee was thrown at me and I blocked it at the last second. I slowed my pace down through the fog, relying on the silhouette of everything to guide me. A small tornado formed at suck me up, throwing me aside against the wall again. I continued these conditions until the class ended.

Next class was the obstacle class. I went to another large gym that was similar to the field, but this one was slightly different. It was just wood flooring on the ground. The images on the walls kept changing back and forth like it was fighting itself.

"The wall changes from illusions if you're wondering. The teacher is a master of illusions." A nerdy boy around the age of eleven explained before walking off. The teacher walked in. He had an eye patch on his face, and had messy platinum blonde hair.

"I will count you off and that would be the group you are in. The tactic is to get to the other side as fast as you can before anyone else. You can use any method besides killing or crippling." The teacher assigned everyone off, putting me in group four. When we waited for the others to finish, we went to the observation hall in the gym. It was soon my turn and I went on the platform. Numbers floated up above us, counting from ten. When it reached three, a jungle rose around us, enveloping us in darkness. Good old night vision.

3

2

1

A bell rung and it started. I flew upwards, seeing how the first obstacle was a large cliff. I flew over it, looking behind me to see people jump. Some grabbed onto the other side and some fell. I hurried along and landed when I got the more wild areas. I ducked under vines, getting scratched by some plants. I leaped over fallen trees, flew over more cliffs, and tripped a few times. The humid air was almost unbearable the farther I went through.

I kept running until my foot caught on a trip wire. My eyes widened as boulders fell from the sky. I flashed my arms, freezing time and got to safety. They boomed behind me, but I kept going. I dove under more traps almost dying many times.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw flares, fire. Trees quickly caught on fire and was spreading. I kept running, going faster than I had before (but not fast enough like the guys at the track). I pushed through spider webs and vines.

Something snapped a branch behind me and I turned to look back. A hairy, giant spider looked at me with soulless red eyes. I shrieked, flinging my hand and making it fling across the jungle. I ran away again only to be tangled in vines. The more I struggled the more I got tangled. It was hopeless. I stopped struggling. Ten minutes later the illusion shimmered away as well as the vines. I was still cut up badly.

The pyromaniac cheered in victory and clapped hands with his friends.

The rest of the classes were uneventful and awfully easy. Check-up time came and Mr. Jones walked in my room. He winched at the sight of me.

"Rough day?" He asked. I gave him my are-you-serious look. He shrugged and went over to me, holding up a hand. Golden light flowed out and he scanned it over my body. Already, I could feel wounds disappearing and my muscles lighten up.

"So, why do all the teachers have powers? Wouldn't they all be students or leave? Wouldn't scientists be the ones in your place?" I asked.

"Actually, they were let out, but most of them didn't have any place to go or they were not accepted so they began living here as a teacher. Each job is separated by your power. I'm a doctor here because of my healing ability, and so on."

My mind swam. What would happen after all of this? Would I be accepted back?

**o-o-o**

**Long chapter for you guys. Whew! Hard work! So if you're wondering: **

**The institute is in Texas (not real)**

**No one had seen the director**

**Mr. Jones would be the only friend Ponyboy would have in the institute**

**Mr. Jones's appearance is up to you. It's open.**

**The educational classes are because it's like a school and it's required so they don't have that much time on it. Some kids were actually born there so they also had to learn languages.**


	10. Chapter 10

It was only a few days later when I signed up for a competition. There was only a few to pick from: One on One Tournament, Capture the Flag, Dodge Ball, Group Arena, Obstacle Course, Stimulation, and Fear Zone. One on One Tournament is when eight people or more goes against one another. One person would be placed randomly against another until only two are left. Then those two go against each other until one gives up or passes out. Capture the Flag and Dodge Ball was obvious. Obstacle Course was also obvious. Group Arena was when a majority of people are in an arena until one is standing. Stimulations are when you are put in a place and have to figure out the problem and resolve it. You mostly do it with a group of people. Fear Zone is when you face all of your fears.

Of course, being my childhood game, I chose Capture the Flag. It's been such a long time since I had last played it, but I shouldn't keep my hopes up. It is a high possibility that it would be different than the one I play at school.

I scribbled down my name in slot 43. Shivers went up my spine. I could already feel others sizing me up and calculating what is my worth in the game. I wonder how it would turn out and what team I would be placed in. Since it is a group effort, each person would put up a bet until the outcome would be equal in both sides. If your team wins, the points would get all of the points the other team bets and that is split equally in every teammate on your team. Usually the points betted would be high.

**o-o-o**

The cafeteria was loud, as usual. I managed to find a seat and scooted in my chair as tight as I can. There is a reason for this. Once, someone had their chair pushed far back to express how "full" they were to their friends and a girl was walking with his soup lunch in that direction. She tripped on the chair, spilling all her lunch on herself. Of course she was angry and lashed out at the poor boy. He was frozen to the spot and she was taken away and locked in her room for the next few days. The boy is still slowly thawing out.

I stuffed my mouth with ravioli. After lunch I was to go to the South Gym. But, I still don't have a team.

As if someone had answered my worry, a small group of kids pulled out the chairs in front and next to me; each letting out a loud _screech_. "You're Ponyboy Curtis, right?" A tanned girl started. I nodded, mouth full of ravioli. "Do you have a team yet?" That time I shook my head. They smiled amongst each other.

"What kind of power do you have? I noticed that you could fly, but obviously you are keeping something from people. I could read minds." A boy stated. Another person can read minds. This would be interesting.

"Telekinesis and I can talk to animals." I answered after swallowing my food. It was true and those were the few that would be even the slightest bit useful in the game. The game usually takes place in a forest near a lake. There are also a few caves littered around the area. Some large and some small. Of course there are other challenges, which includes the animals.

"Want to join blue team?" Another person asked.

"Sure."

They cheered. "So, I am thinking you should take air control near the border." One suggested. A boy shook his head.

"No, I think he should fly to find the flag and send a bird or something to tell us he found it. Then he should try to fly it back."

"Then the other flyers or weather controlling people would go after him."

The group bickered until I started to get annoyed. "Guys!" They turned to me. "Why don't I take border? I could send a few animals to watch your progress and you can say a code word which they would pick up and send it to me so that I could give you backup."

"That's actually a good idea."

**o-o-o**

Lunch ended soon after and we headed for the gym where the illusions already transformed the area to the forest. I could already see people on both sides of a white line. They were both huddled together, talking plan. I jogged over to the check-in area and gained my blue bandana. I tied it to my right arm and joined the blue team.

They talked detail; confirming the plan. The teams were even with 30 on both sides.

Warning horns sounded everyone to get into place. I walked to the edge of the white line near the lake. That is where I was stationed. Another horn sounded off and the game started.

I flew up in the air as soon as I could and went higher than the treetops. The weather was a bit rocky and I had to dodge a few storms. Students screamed all around me and they clashed. A few of them flew out from the mob, crashing into others or trees, and taken away on stretchers. People were taken out like wildfire. It was madness. The ones with the powers to control stuff, like electricity and water, consumed everyone. That was my sign to step in. The other team, having more of those people was starting to advance towards the border.

I landed in the middle of an average sized group, all attention went to me, but before they could react, I swiped my hand and sent them flying into another group. I squinted my greenish-grey eyes at the leftover standing group and knocked them against a rock. I continued this for another ten minutes, and I was beginning to become tired. More enemies keep popping up from the infirmary and it was making this game hard.

The air shimmered on my right. I ignored it, but my mind then clicked. Air doesn't shimmer. I whipped back around, managing not to get whiplash. Air also doesn't have an aura. I narrowed my eyes and a girl formed from nothing, clutching at her throat and dropping the blue flag that we hid in a bush. I grabbed it and flung the girl back to her side of the area.

I turned to one of my teammates who just rushed back to our side and handed him the flag. "Hide this somewhere and get new people to guard it." I ordered. He nodded, and sped off. A small robin landed on my shoulder that second.

"_You are to try to find the flag and retrieve it." _It squeaked.

"Alright. Thanks." I answered with a gentle smile. It flew off.

Once again, I flew up in the air to navigate the area for any flashes of red. Wind blew past my air, and honestly, it was slightly distracting.

I circled the area a few times before stopping in midair. I couldn't find the flag from up here. It would either be in a blind spot or in a cave then. I dropped to the flood in a clearing and whistled lowly. Below me, a few groundhogs dug up, poking their little heads up from their newly dug holes.

"Hi, I have a favor to ask of you. Can you tell the others to help me search for a flag? It should be somewhere on this side of the forest."

The groundhogs' noses twitched as if saying, _Yeah, yeah. Sure. _And ducked back in the hole. I turned around to start running on the floor, ducking low tree branches

A yell rang out behind me and I was pushed to the ground, earning me new scrapes all over my arms. A hand grabbed at my collar and picked me up. Legs dangled in the air and I was in a daze. Another yell and my body went weightless. I slammed into a rock, and gasped for breath. The stone behind me cracked…or was that my bones? Blood flew from my mouth and the stone made a crater not a second after. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, looking up at the skies. For a moment, I saw stars circling me. A shadow loomed over me, a foot was pressed on my face, heels digging into my cheekbone.

"What is someone as weak as you doing in a Capture the Flag game?" The man asked. I tried to make a comeback, but my voice only came out as a staggered breath. I raised my right hand shakily, grabbing onto his ankle like my life depended on it. My eyes shut closed as I tried to block out the pain.

I want him off of me. I want to get out of here as soon as I can. I kept repeating those two sentences in my head, ignoring the chills I started to get on my right arm.

"Hey! Stop that! That's cold!"

What was he talking about? I forced open my eyes, but they only opened enough to see a small slit of my bearings. The ankle of the man that was crushing my face was starting to freeze over in translucent ice. Frost started to run up his body, ice slowly following. The attacker ripped his foot from my hand and fell to the floor and tried to break the ice off of him. He slammed his ankle against the floor, cracking a bit off at a time

My wounds started to heal and I stood up, taking off in a random direction away from the man that was probably going to go after me in a few seconds.

A squirrel jumped on my shoulder and said,_ "We found a flag in a cave up north."_

I nodded to it, letting it get off of my shoulder, and jumped up in the sky. I looked at my surroundings. The game was still proceeding. As far as I could see, there are only two caves on this side. One was west and one north. I flew to the north cave and landed on the floor. I then snuck in the cave. It was dark, but I navigated myself through it and snuck past a few guards. The cave opened up to a larger room, but with many other cave openings in there. It was like an ant den.

What cave do I go in? Should I pick with eenie-meenie-miny-moe? Go to a random one? Voices echoed throughout the cave. Or go to the one where I could hear voices coming from? Probably the later. II walked in front of each cave, listening closely until I found one where the voices echoed the most.

At the end of the cave that I entered, I found the flag plunged in the center of a pile of rocks and two guards in front of it. Looking around, I found myself looking at a rock. I squinted my eyes and the rock was thrown to another cave entrance, making a loud _thump _on the floor. The two glanced at each other before both went to that direction and disappeared. I quietly, but quickly, rushed to the flag and pulled it out before quickly jogging towards the entrance.

I could just see the bright light when a loud shriek was sounded throughout the cave. The ground started to rumble and rubble started to fall on my head. The shrieking continued and my jogging turned into a sprint towards the entrance. The floor was shaking in waves and the plummeting pebbles turned into boulders. I was almost there. Move faster feet! My feet felt weightless and made me feel like I was about to fall over. The distance from me to the entrance seemed like it was stretching. Rocks tumbled down, blocking the entrance once I was a few feet from the opening. A boulder fell towards me but I rolled out of the way. Everything went black.

Clenching my teeth, I swung out my arm in attempts to push the rubble out of my way. Nothing happened. I then realized, I should have frozen time but in the heat of the moment, I did not think of doing so.

I tried again and again, but my powers didn't work. What's happening? There was another shriek, but this time closer. It was so shrill that I had to cover my ears. Even covering my ears could hardly block it out. When the scream stopped all I could hear was ringing.

Something shoved me to the ground and started to kick at my side. Something soon hard started to pound on my head and I raised my hands up to protect myself. Someone was bashing a rock against my head and I couldn't do anything to protect myself. I couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't use my powers. All I could do was smell and feel the blood that was trickling down my head. I could not tell if my vision was going black, but it probably was; I was getting dizzy.

The pounding stopped. I heard voices that I couldn't understand due to my lack of the ability to hear. A hand pealed me off of the ground and lied me down on what I think was the wall of the cave. My vision went back and I could see; though I was still woozy. In front of me were the guards who had a troubled expressions. I opened my mouth but all that came out was a cough.

They said something to me but all I could see was them mouthing what looks like, _Get ahold of yourself._

My vision went black.

**o-o-o**

When I had awoken I didn't know where I was. I forced myself off of the rock to look around. I'm in a cave. Then everything came back to me. Capture the Flag. Cave. Right.

The two guards were getting up from the ground in a scurry. "You're awake!" One said. It was a girl.

"Thank goodness! We were beginning to think you were never going to wake up." A boy said.

"Well, who's the one who was banging a rock on my head?" I said, somewhat sarcastically.

"That was your head?" The boy asked, looking surprised.

"No, it was my leg that was making that sound that probably sounded like two rocks crashing against each other."

"Well, I couldn't tell."

With a sigh I asked, "How long was I out?"

"Felt like an hour, but I was bored so probably half an hour." The girl answered.

"That's not too bad, but can I ask you this? Why didn't my powers work moments ago?"

"That's my power. I can block the use of a person's ability." The boy answered.

"My power is a loud shriek that caused the rocks to fall." The girl said.

"That is why I couldn't tell if I was hitting your head."

"Which brings us to the other problem. We can't get out because of it. We didn't-"

"_You _didn't!"

"I didn't think it through."

'_It's getting cold in here. I hope we get out soon.' _The girl said in her mine. Getting cold? No it wasn't. What was she thinking? Then I felt it. The slight coolness on my hands. I looked down at where I was sitting. I was sitting in a circle of frost.

"We need to get out of here." I said, throwing out my arm and causing the rocks to be pushed out of the way. Light flooded the cave and I could finally breathe fresh air.

"Finally!" The boy cheered. I smiled, whipping off the excess blood and twirling the red flag in my hand. I jumped in the air when the two walked in front of me. I rushed to my side, seeing that, the game was still proceeding. I flew to my side and a loud horn went off.

"_Blue team had successfully retrieved the red flag!" _The intercom spoke. The blue team went crazy, screaming at the top of their lungs. A bunch of guys ran to me and placed me on their shoulders. I smiled widely, something I haven't done in a while.


	11. Chapter 11

**I seriously did something I regret. Ok, so, like… I was home alone and when that happens, I love to strip down and be free. I was walking around my house, reading fanfiction when I heard my doorbell ring. Since I'm usually alone, I got used to myself not wearing clothes and opened the door. And… just… my neighbor's horror… I should never strip down ever again…**

**o-o-o**

**Johnny's POV…**

I can't forgive myself. I could have done something to save my best friend from being taken away from me. He was just snatched away from our lives just like that. It was my fault that this happened. My fault! If only my body moved to pull him away from the pursuers. I could have been brave. But yet, the look I saw on Ponyboy's face scared me and I couldn't move. His face was insane and twisted. It reminded me of an evil king from the books Ponyboy shared with me. His existence was just like that. I could feel the power and authority radiating off of him. Ponyboy was terrifying. I shook my head. No, it wasn't Ponyboy. It was _something_ else.

Part of me felt betrayed, and I knew that I wasn't the only one. I could tell that the gang felt betrayed too, especially Sodapop.

Why didn't he tell me of all the abilities that he has? Ponyboy probably thought that if I knew, I wouldn't want to be his friend. I mean, the power to kill on contact of his left hand? Anyone would want to avoid him. No wonder why he locked himself in his room and clutched that hand to his arm like his life depended on it.

A part of me also felt lost. He was a big part of my life; one of the reasons that I am alive. What am I supposed to do without him?

I can't live being separated like this forever. That's a fact. I need to get him back, but where do I start?

**o-o-o**

**Soda's POV…**

I was sitting on the couch, elbows digging in my thighs, and face masked by my hands. I had lost another family member. It all just suddenly happened. This happened for what reason? Ponyboy has "_powers"_? That's unheard of, right? But, then why had he been taken away?

I have noticed something off about Ponyboy. I noticed the anxiety, hope, and fear in his eyes whenever he tried to tell me something. Every time, though, he backed down from telling me what was in his mind. That always bugged me. Ponyboy and I were as close as brothers could be. We _never _keep things from each other. Well, that's what I thought. It turns out that Ponyboy was keeping what seems like everything from me. I should have encouraged him more to tell me besides pushing it off and doing my own business. Was this "superpower" thing the thing he wanted to tell me?

Throughout the years, there were signs. I just wished I pieced them all together. All the times he could tell everyone's emotions and places where we got hurt. All the times that he had stayed underwater for what seems like eternity. All the times where he could translate and speak languages without studying them. The times where he could solve college-level problems when he wasn't even in the fifth grade. The times where he could navigate through a messy room that was pitch-black in seconds. The signs were blaring with flashing neon colors right in my face this whole time. I had never felt more stupid and useless in my life until today.

I had to get him back. I can't lose another. I had already lost Mom and Dad.

"We have to find him," I spoke, removing the hands away from my face to look at the others. Johnny nodded. He was right there with me.

"How do you suppose we do that? For one, we have no clue where he was taken. He could be half way out of the country by now. Hell, he could be in Europe." Steve asked. "Another thing. How are we supposed to get him back? He was probably taken to a place that was highly guarded."

"We still have to try. Did you forget? We're greasers." Two-Bit quipped, breaking in a grin.

**o-o-o**

**Ponyboy's POV…**

I rolled out the way of an incoming fireball that whizzed passed me, exploding on the invisible force field wall that surrounded us. I placed the palm of my right hand against the cool floor. The ground erupted in ice, going towards the pyromaniac. But, the opponent spun around, causing a barricade of fire to melt the ice and causing steam to surround us. I was now blind. Everything was silent. The cheers of people quieted down to a whisper of confusion. I raised up my hands just in case. A fist flew at me and I barely had any time to dodge. The fire that radiated off the fist singed me and I jumped farther away.

More fists and kicks at me and all I could do was dodge and block. But each block caused the fire to burn me. I need to see if I wanted to move on. If only there were no steam.

That's right! The steam is gathered on the ground. That means I need to go to a higher elevation. I jumped up, successfully avoiding another punch, and flew above the steam. It helped and I saw glimpses of my opponent move around in the steam. But as soon as I did see him, he was swallowed up by the blanket of steam. A volley of fire was thrown at me and I dove down, flying near the floor, picking up speed. The steam started to move as well the more laps I took, compressing it into a large column.

Faster!

I pushed myself even further and the steam was replaced into a mini tornado. I could see my opponent in the center of the twister being thrown around while clutching his throat for air. Now. I moved away from the tornado after one more lap and the twister evaporated, flinging the opponent against the wall unconscious.

Everyone cheered around me and I was announced the winner. I was moving into the finals. I didn't know if it was just because of the steam or not, but I was sweating like crazy. Stripping off my jacket, I sat down on the bench outside the arena to wait for my turn.

The match was ended sooner than I had expected. Was the next opponent powerful? What if they can use multiple powers like me? I bit my lips and secured the glove on my left hand that Mr. Jones made for me.

"_Here, Mr. Curtis. I got this for you." Mr. Jones said one day, handing me a black glove. It was a fingerless glove with black-hand and fingers that strapped at the wrist._

"_A glove?" I asked, putting it on._

"_Right, it was specially made for that left hand of yours. It can help compress that one…thing."_

_I looked at Mr. Jones with wide eyes, surprised. It wasn't that I was amazed by the glove. I couldn't be any less surprised at the advancement here than anywhere else now. I was surprised that Mr. Jones knew about my left hand._

"_How did you know about my left hand?" I asked with seriousness._

'_Can I tell him? Would I get into trouble?' Mr. Jones asked himself. He glanced nervously at me, forgetting that I can read what he was thinking._

"_Why would you get in trouble?"_

"_I…"_

"_Mr. Jones!"_

"_A few days ago… I was called up to see… the director."_

"_The director? But you said…"_

"_No one had seen him before? Right. I was surprised too. But I didn't actually see him when I got to his office. It was pitch-black in there. He told me… he has his eyes on you. And… he told me that the time is coming, it's a matter of how we play our cards. Whatever that means."_

_Mr. Jones stopped talking. "Anything else?" I gulped down saliva to help my drying throat._

"_He told me to get ready for something disturbing and told me about your hand. That was it."_

_I could tell he didn't want to talk anymore so I changed the topic slightly. "So… you're saying that when I touch something with my left hand it won't die anymore?"_

"_No. Only when you take it off will the power come back."_

I heard loud cheering and stood up from the bench. With a small sigh, I walked in the coliseum. More cheers were erupted when I got in. I looked at my opponent who only stared back at me emotionlessly. I could feel his eyes judging everything about me and prying into my very soul. Timidly, I walked to my side. A gong sounded and then it begun.

At first, everything was still. We waited until one of us made the first move. It didn't seem like he was going to move first. I might as well test this. I threw an icicle spear at him and it flew. I expected him to dodge of block it, but he just stood there. He showed no signs of doing any. It pierced in his leg and my eyes slightly widened in horror at the blood that started to seep out. The opponent's eyes widened before he collapsed.

The audience cheered. The match was over. But something was nagging at me to stay in guard. Something wasn't right. He should have been able to do something instead of "lose".

Everything from then went in slow motion. His body evaporated into nothing. I quickly whipped around but it was too late. The man was standing behind me. His mouth curved up a bit in a smile before he lightly placed a hand to my back. A dim blue light formed on his hand and I realized a moment to late what he was trying to do.

Everything sped back up.

The light consumed me and I felt my blood boil before I was thrown at the wall. I tumbled to the ground, steam sputtering out of my body. My skin was red and bubbled were scattered on my body like pimples. For a moment, I could not move. My body was too boiled to move. Every inch of movement equaled to immense pain. My skin slowly returned to its natural color and I tried to get up. I really did. But a hand punched in my chest. There was a loud crack and the ground caved in.

Everything was nothing above a whisper, but what occupied my ear was the ragged breaths and the stuttering heartbeat of mine.

This power is a "life saver" but it also _tortures_ me. I keep healing no matter what and I have to suffer through the pain over and over again. They can probably cut me up like Kronos was, but I will heal and have to feel the pain. It was hell.

My ribs glued itself together without a second lost and I flew up in the air as soon as I could.

_Can I really beat him?_

I shook my head. I have too! I need too! I have to get out of here and this was the only way.

Below me I saw my opponent jump up in the air and flew in front of me. So far, for what I could tell, he has super strength, the ability to take flight, a boiling like power… and to teleport and heal? Something was off about it. What is it?

The opponent raised his hands and lightning flickered across his arm and lighted his whole body.

_I can't beat him…_

The lightning flashed at me but I stopped time and moved out of the way and behind him. Time resumed. I placed a cool hand on his back and ice immediately started to form on his body and wrapped him up like a mummy. The figure fell to the floor that was many feet up and I landed after him. When I looked back over to the iced form, I noticed the ice had melted.

_Impossible…_

A feeling of being ripped apart caught my attention. My eyes widened as blood started to drip from my eyes, nose, and mouth. A red stake plunged through my stomach like a spear causing me to scream in pain. The spears kept being plunged into my body, but the man was walking toward me. How is he doing this?

I lied motionlessly on the stakes that pinned me to the ground. He was getting closer.

_Use your hand…_

No…

Something was wrong. How is he doing this?

Does he really have that many?

No.

My mind swam as fast as it could to try to ignore the pain. The way his body shimmered back them. That looked like… an illusion. It all finally made sense. This was all an illusion. If I believed the illusion was real, then I'll pay the consequences. If I don't believe that they are real, then I'll win. But doing so was near impossible without the right training. All of these illusions were just so…surreal.

My vision darkened, making me dread the worse. No… not now. I fell into darkness, sleepiness washing over me. The last thing that I felt was my body moving on it's own.


	12. Chapter 12

**There are like no one reviewing. Only two. Those two, thank you.**

**I don't feel like writing in first person this chapter. Happy early thanksgiving though! I feel that we'll probably get this story finished this week or next week.**

**o-o-o**

Everyone watched as Ponyboy's body stiffened up before relaxing. A smile broke onto his face that gave everyone chills that ran up their petty little spines. It was not like any other smile, but it was at the same time. It just seemed like something horrific was hiding behind the mask. Ponyboy's gleaming, cool eyes store down the man in front of him, causing the hairs on his arms to stand up and goosebumps running over his skin. Something was different about the boy now. It was like he was a different person. A small chuckle escaped Ponyboy's chapped lips and he turned a full 180 degrees around and stared at a spot in the corner of the arena. His opponent froze. Ponyboy was staring right at him.

"I see you," Ponyboy teased, raising his hand up. The illusion of his opponent behind him faded away and the one for invisibility broke as he was lifted from the ground, suspended in air.

The hovering man's eyes flashed and a column of fire shot out from the ground, surrounding Ponyboy. But the teen did not scream; instead he laughed.

"Your illusions are useless. They don't fool me." Ponyboy's hand started to slowly fold into a fist and gasp escaped his opponent's lips. Hands flew up to his throat, trying to pry off an invisible force that was choking him.

Behind Ponyboy, sitting in a secluded area, a man stood up, eyes wide. His mouth was slightly opened, causing his white beard to go lower down his chest.

"Sir?" A woman asked, standing up next to him and placing a worried hand on his arm.

"That's…" But before he could continue a student stood up, pointing to Ponyboy and shouting, "He's going to kill him!"

It was true, the face of the man that was being strangled turned purple and he was beginning to get weaker. Ponyboy's hand closed together fully and the man went limp. He plummeted to the ground when Ponyboy dropped his hand.

Ponyboy turned around again and looked directly at the old man that was standing up.

"He… killed him…" The woman choked out before sitting down, eyes wide. The old man ignored the woman and trudged to the banister. He opened his mouth to stop the screaming.

"SILENCE!" He exclaimed and it became silent. "Who are you?"

Ponyboy smiled. "I'm he one that will kill you…director."

"Director?"

"That's the director?"

"He's old…"  
Everyone started to whisper. The headmaster raised his hand and everyone stopped talking. The door to the arena slammed open and men stormed in fully armed.

"I will give you a choice. Go with them without struggle or be forced out."

Ponyboy raised a hand to his chin as if to ponder his choices. "I choose…neither."

"Then so be it. Contain him."

The men started to run towards Ponyboy but they froze when he raised a hand. Ponyboy looked at his left hand.

"You know, just one touch and you would die. Are you all seriously going to die because one person told you too?" Ponyboy said as he slipped off his glove and dropped it on the ground. He approached one of the trembling soldiers and placed the hand on his forehead. The eyes of the soldier went wide and blood trickled down his chin before he fell to the floor, dead.

"He's going to kill us all!" Another girl screamed. Ponyboy lashed out his hand and a spear of ice started to pierce its way through the barrier.

"That's useless. No one could pierce trough the barrier."

But he spoke to soon and the barrier started to crack. Cracks lined the barrier like a spider web before it fell apart like broken glass.

"Contain him!" The headmaster yelled, cursing under his breath. This time doctors came in and jumped on Ponyboy, holding him down and pressing a needle in his neck. Almost instantly did Ponyboy get dizzy and fell unconscious.

When Ponyboy woke up, he was back in his room. Well, that's what he thought anyways. It was all black. He could not see. He could not move. He was terrified.

_Where am I? How did this happen? _Ponyboy asked himself. He pulled at his wrists but he could tell they were restrained over his head. "H-Hello?" He asked shakily.

"You're awake!"

_Mr. Jones?_

"Mr. Jones?"

"Yeah…"

"W-What happened? Where am I?"

"You're in your room. They took you here after the freak incident in the arena."

Then it all came back to him. He blacked out. The shadow version took control.

"I know you're scared, Ponyboy. But it'll all be over soon."

"What are you talking about? You make it sound like I'm going to die."

"You'll be fine… I hope… We never had this incident before."

The lights turned on, blinding the greaser. When his eyes adjusted, he could see a few people in the room. All wearing the same garbs. There were more equipment in the room. Tables were stock-full of syringes holding liquids of different colors.

Standing by the door was an old man. Mr. Jones noticed my staring.

"Don't stare to long at the director."

"Director?"

"Yeah, remember?"

"I don't remember… I blacked out in the middle of the fight."

The others in the room looked at each other. The director frowned. "So it is true."

"What's true?" My voice came out more panicked than I meant too.

"Before you came, this one boy had a prediction about a teen, both torn from good and evil. I think it might be you that they were talking about." The director explained.

"W-What's going to happen to me?"

"We're going to remove it. It's too dangerous if you don't."

The director walked over to the bedside, picking up one of the many different syringes and examined it. He grabbed Ponyboy's arm and he went wild. Ponyboy started to squirm in the bed, trying to escape the man that was going to use him like a test animal. The other doctors in the room rushed to his side and pinning him firm against the bed. All Ponyboy could do now was watch in horror as the needle pressed into his skin in his arm. The blue liquid pushed itself in his bloodstream and his veins started to turn a blackish color. Ponyboy screamed in agony and he tried harder to get away. The director pulled the needle out and threw it in the bin. The main subsided, the blackness in the veins started to fade back to its original color.

"Next." The director said as he picked up the next syringe. Ponyboy's blood ran cold as the needle with the orange liquid came closer.

The process went on for a while until finally, the director pushed in a needle with bright green liquid in his skin. His skin turned an unnatural greyish-black color and it seemed to be pulsing. Each time his body pulsed, a black as night shadowy figure would pop out before sinking in again.

The director took another needle with the same substance and replaced the empty syringe with it. This time the shadow levitated an inch from the body. Ponyboy screamed again, trying to push all the scientists away with his telekinesis, but his powers failed him. Someone in the room must be stopping the use of them. By then the shadow was forced out and it stood upright on the floor. Ponyboy then fell unconscious once more.

The shadow stood tall in the center of the room, death radiating off of him. The scientists backed up as one unlucky fellow was turned to just bones in the matter of being a few inches from the silhouette. The shadow then disappeared.

When Ponyboy came too he was left alone, night vision flared on and he had a massive headache. His arms and legs hurt and he felt weak.

Everything just hurt like hell.

With a struggle, Ponyboy sat up, noticing Mr. Jones sleeping with his arms crossed against a chair.

"Mr. Jones," Ponyboy spoke gently, painfully moving his arms to shake the doctor awake. His eyes snapped open and they instantly locked onto Ponyboy.

"You're alive. Many thought you had died." Mr. Jones said.

"Dead?"

"Your heart stopped beating and you didn't breath. But the director told us you would be fine so we didn't burn your body."

"What happened?"

"We finally extracted it from your body and it escaped. You passed out from the pain."

Ponyboy's eyes nearly popped out. It was gone? No more? Out of his life. Ponyboy was relived but also scared. It escaped. It was out there somewhere. What if it went after the gang for revenge?

"Anyways, the director wants to speak to you. You up to standing?"

He nodded, swinging his legs off the edge of the bed and stood up. It was a bit wobbly at worst but he got the hang of it. What would the director want to see him for?

The two walked out of the room and down the hall. As they walked, people stopped to look at him, eyes wide. They all moved to the side as far away as they could possibly get from Ponyboy.

"That's him…"

"Monster…"

"Killer…"


	13. Chapter 13

**The song **_**Monster **_**by Imagine Dragons is so perfect for this fanfiction. Omg. No joke. It practically describes the whole story. Check it out. It's so beautiful. . Thanks for reviewing!**

**o-o-o**

When I got in the office, my night vision flared on, but it was soon turned off when the lights flickered on. The office was like any other. The two of us, Mr. Jones and I, sat down in the two chairs in front of the desk. The director spun his chair around dramatically and smiled at us.

"It's nice to see you're finally awake, Mr. Curtis." He started.

"Um, thank you. What did you want to talk to me about, sir?" I asked. The cheerful look that the director had plastered on turned serious and he folded his hands up to rest his chin on them.

"You were informed that it had escaped, am I correct?"

"I was."

"And we know for sure that it won't just die down because it left its host. I don't know why, but since it got out, it is at least ten times more deadly. Sure, it won't be able to find a host because everyone would just die upon being close to it, and it can't fit in as well, but somehow it has gained the same powers as you."

My mouth dropped slightly. "No way…"

"We also come to conclusion that only _you _can stop it. You will depart from here as soon as you are ready."

"I don't think I could do it."

"You will only fail if you continue to think that."

"But where do I start? It could be anywhere by now!"

"Use your powers. If I remember right, you can see the future."

"But, I could never use that on command."

"You will figure out. Now go back to your room and prepare."

I was excused after that and I retired back to my room. Mr. Jones decided to stay behind. I slumped on the bed. I feel totally useless. I was a monster to the others. I don't belong here. Maybe leaving is for the best. But where would I go? Surely the gang won't take me back… I wish I was never born like this! It only brought trouble.

Everyone expects so much from me. They expect me to be perfect, but I am far from that. I am a tainted being that should just disappear. It would be easier that way, won't it? Everyone would be relieved if I was gone, right?

My hands clenched the sheets and I repositioned my face so it was not on the newly made wet spot made from my tears.

Even so, can I help people? The shadow would be killing anything that comes in its path and it would all be my fault. I had extracted it from myself. I would be the one murdering those people. Is it possible I could stop it? Go out in a bang? Not be seen as a monster in my last moments?

I sat up, taking a shaky breath, and wiping the excess tears away. I have to try. I can't give up yet. I can do something that would make others live. I closed my eyes, concentrating on trying to get a premonition.

Lights flashed in the darkness of my eyelids in rapid colors. Then it happened, the fireworks in my eyelids started to form a vivid picture that consumed me, changing scenery. I saw that I was back in Tulsa. Before me was the gang that just recently ran on top of a building. Behind him walked the shadow. Each step it took, they took a step back until they reached the edge.

My eyes slapped open and I swung my legs down to the floor. They need me. Who cares about what they think. I have to help even if it kills me.

I ran out of my room, knowing that this would be the last time I will see it. I rushed through the hallway, people pushed out of the way to not get hit. I rushed to the entrance, the guards noticing me and pushed open the door. My eyes burned and new warmth hit me. But I could care less. I jumped up, taking flight and went towards the direction of Tulsa. My flight there would have to mostly be reliant on the direction of the sun.

I have never flown so fast in my life. I must be like a sonic boom to others. It was a matter of seconds where I caught a glimpse of a mile marker and slowed my pace. Tulsa was a mile from where I was at right now. Already, I saw the sky darkening with smoke. It rained the black snow, ash. The closer I got to Tulsa, the harder it was to breath. Flames touched the sky and screams were heard. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars roamed everywhere.

Below me, people started to gather together out of harms reach, but I did not see the gang. I saw Tim, Curly, and Angela in the group, but not my brothers or my close friends. My eyes roamed to each rooftop until I saw the silhouettes of figures on one.

**o-o-o**

**Normal POV**

Dally pushed open the door, ushering for the others to go through. They all reached the roof of a banking building. They don't know what had happened. They were all together trying to find where Ponyboy might be when a shadowy figure appeared in Darry's house. Upon entering, a small plant that was growing in the house withered away. The shadow screamed death and raised the hairs on their arms stand up. They all left the house and found that everyone that touched the shadow had fallen dead on the ground. The cars it touched exploded, sending fires across Tulsa. That's how they found themselves on the roof. But now they were trapped.

"Johnny, get behind me." Dally said, pushing the boy behind him protectively. The shadow took a few more steps closer and Johnny took a step back, but there was no more roof to go off of and he fell. Johnny screamed, hearing distant voices calling his name. It was over. Johnny shut his eyes, expecting to make contact soon, but it never happened. Something hooked underneath his armpits and the flip-flop in his stomach stopped. Johnny opened his eyes to find that he had indeed stopped falling and someone was holding his. He looked upwards and his large eyes widened. Ponyboy smiled nervously down at him.

"Hey, Johnny. Long time no see?" He asked, lifting him back towards the roof where all of the gang was waiting with wide eyes.

"Man, I will never get used to that." Two-Bit joked, smiling, and swinging his arms around Ponyboy's shoulders when both landed back on the roof. "Miss ya, buddy!"

"Hey, guys."

"Pony!" Soda cheered, crushing his little brother in a hug. The hugs and smiles reassured Ponyboy. He was thankful that they weren't disgusted, or scared of him. But there were more important matters than this reunion.

Ponyboy pushed Soda off of him and turned towards the shadow. His eyes turned sad and he smiled towards the gang. "I'm sorry for not telling any of you… I'm sorry for having that run free. It is my responsibility to take it down. But I don't know what's going to happen. That future is unclear. If I die, goodbye and I love you." Ponyboy felt strange speaking these words. It felt like it was his last words. It probably was. It would be hard to kill him, but there are ways. "Please stay back. It's my turn to protect you guys."

The shadow looked at him as if saying "_What is a human like you going to do?"_

Ponyboy raised his right hand, the air turning cold. He shut his eyes as he fired a spear of ice.


End file.
